Jessica Reyna
Senator Mencke’s passion for some type of reform for the criminal justice system shown while she was presenting her bill in the Senate. The “No Jim Crow” Act of 2019 fights for the voting rights of offenders. While during the time of questions, she brought up the statistics of minorities in prisons, and losing their right to vote. She stated how it is unfair that prisoners are counted amongst the general population, yet they do not have the right to choose who can represent them.
She went on to talk about the racial inequality in our justice system, and how 1 in 13 African American men lose their right to vote due to incarceration.
There was a debate what type of criminals should be excluded from gaining the right to vote. At the moment, there seems to be a mutual agreement of not allowing violent felons to vote. However, there is conflict when drug dealers are shown in the limelight. Some senators see it as a non-violent crime. Other individuals argue that drug dealing is a violent crime due to the causes it has on some of the families. Some families are left destroyed by the aftermath of drug dealing.
The author was against the amendment of including individuals who are convicted on drug related charges because she felt like minorities were targeted.
It leaves one to wonder if some people actually understand how violent drug related crimes can be. Speaking from personal experience, I have had a murder and kidnapping in my family due to a drug dealing gone wrong. There is much more violence that lies beyond what may meet the eye, and it is an important side that many people need to take into consideration. Whether one wants to admit it or not, there is much destructive power in the realm of dealing drugs. So much so, that wars have been started over it. When wars over drug begin, it seems as if it only ends in the bloodshed of the innocent, and an insatiable power struggle for criminals.