Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) was grilled over her support of legislation that proposes emptying federal prisons within 10 years.
Axiosâ Jonathan Swan said during an interview with Tlaib, âIn 2020, you endorsed the Breathe Act which is a series of proposals to transform Americaâs criminal justice system and create âa roadmap for Prison abolition.â The Breathe Act proposes emptying federal detention facilities within 10 years.â
He asked, âTo what extent have you wrestled with any potential downsides of releasing into society every single person whoâs currently in a federal Prison?â
âI think that everyoneâs like, oh my god, weâre going to just release everybody,â Tlaib responded.
Swan interrupted as he said, âThatâs what it says.â
âYeah, but did you see how many people are mentally ill that are in Prison right now?â she responded.
Swan said, âNo, I know. But the act that you endorsed actually says ârelease everyoneâ in 10 years. But there are like human traffickersâŚDo you mean that you donât actually support that?â
âNo, I endorsed the Breathe Act in looking at federal policies and how we incarcerate,â Tlaib said.
She continued, âLook whoâs in Prison now. Look at the folks that are mentally ill that have substance abuse problems.â
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Finally, Swan asked, âIn your vision, there is still whatever proportion they are, a small proportion, who do need to be behind bars?â
âYeah, again I would have to look at every case individually and figure that all out. I canât just say that,â she said.
According to Fox News, âA summary of the act calls for the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to create a plan that âprovides for full decarceration of federal detention facilities within 10 yearsâ and âenacts a moratorium on all new federal Prison, jail, immigrant and youth detention construction.'â
In the wake of the fatal shooting of Daunte Wright, a Black man, by police earlier this year, Tlaib tweeted, âNo more policing, incarceration, and militarization. It canât be reformed.â
