On Tuesday, October 20th, the Millennial Action Project (MAP) convened the introductory meeting of our new Criminal Justice Reform Advisory Council. The Advisory Council was created as the first step of our criminal justice reform initiative. MAP has identified criminal justice as a policy issue with strong opportunity for  bipartisan action at the state level. Among our State Future Caucus Network (SFCN), young legislators across the political spectrum have a drive to address the pervasive structural deficiencies of the American criminal justice system.

The Advisory Council  is led by a bipartisan pair of young legislators: Rep. Leslie Herod of Colorado and Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee of Louisiana. The council is made up for three more Democrats and three more Republicans who have extensive legislative experience in criminal justice reform, and will help to drive innovative policy solutions and share them with their peers.

Tuesday’s meeting began with opening remarks by Layla Zaidane, MAP’s Executive Director and C.O.O. Layla explained how the Advisory Council came to be, emphasizing how its foundation was laid during the 2020 Future Summit. Layla further explained how the Advisory Council would serve as a key resource for legislators as MAP continues to strengthen our criminal justice reform  initiative. 

Co-chair Rep. Herod offered remarks to the attendees, explaining why criminal justice reform was such a pressing issue for her constituents and what actions she has already advanced in the Colorado state legislature. Specifically, Rep. Herod discussed her belief that her home state, Colorado, was becoming so reliant on incarceration that it was doing the states’ constituents a disservice. She shared a bill she sponsored to end cash bail in Colorado, as well as  a sweeping police reform bill passed in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death earlier this year. Rep. Herod mentioned that she was very encouraged to see Republicans and Democrats coming together on the issue of criminal justice, and how she is grateful to be a part of this meaningful effort.

Rep. Herod was followed by her Republican counterpart, co-chair andSpeaker Pro Tempore Magee. Speaker Magee shared a meaningful anecdote about how criminal justice reform seemed to be one of the few things to bring liberals and conservatives together. Speaker Magee mentioned the challenges his home state of Louisiana has faced with incarceration, namely having one of the highest rates of incarceration in the country. The Speaker  then said his motivation was to bring Louisiana into the norms of the rest of the country, and how he has sought to work on criminal justice reform in the Louisiana legislature through a fines and fees bill. 

Following our co-chairs’ remarks, the meeting then progressed to an overview of the Advisory Council’s goals and motivations, which are informed by our 2020 Future Summit Criminal Justice Reform breakout session. Overall, the council established this policy area as a strong opportunity to work across the aisle, and that legislators can learn about CJR by cooperating across state lines. The group decided on next steps and plans for the upcoming December convening. 

With the success of the Advisory Council’s first meeting, MAP is looking forward to seeing what opportunities to pursue justice await in 2021.