Agenda Text
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Supporting House Resolution 702, The People's Justice Guarantee.
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Official Text
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING H.702, THE PEOPLE’S JUSTICE GUARANTEE
WHEREAS, the Somerville City Council affirms the federal People’s Justice Guarantee resolution by establishing goals, identifying actions necessary to meet these goals, and calling for the federal government to enact policies to advance The People’s Justice Guarantee; and
WHEREAS, public safety is of paramount importance for every person and family in our community; and
WHEREAS, a humane and effective justice system is a necessary predicate for a functioning and healthy democracy; and
WHEREAS, decarceration is a moral and societal imperative that the United States must strategically and effectively pursue at every level; and
WHEREAS, expanded and militarized police forces, including in the form of proactive policing or so-called ‘‘broken windows’’ policing, has led to mass criminalization, worsening police-community relations, and unacceptable levels of State violence, specifically impacting Black people; and
WHEREAS, one in two adults in America has had a family member in jail or prison, and one in five has had a parent incarcerated; and
WHEREAS, nearly 65 percent of families with an incarcerated or detained family member are unable to meet basic needs, including housing, health, food, and employment; and
WHEREAS, children with an incarcerated parent are nearly six times more likely to be expelled from school and increasingly less likely to graduate from college than children without incarcerated parents; and
WHEREAS, zero-tolerance policies, including exclusionary disciplinary policies and school-based arrests, result in the growing cradle-to-prison pipeline; and
WHEREAS, the consequences of criminal convictions do not end with the prison sentence served or fines paid, and a majority of people imprisoned in the United States are expected to return home, return to society, and become productive mem...
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