Protect our rights CORE BELIEFS
Better classes/programs in school. (Teaching more about taxes, laws, parenting, social skills, social justice issues, etc.)
End youth homelessness.
Increase in the amount of mental health facilities that will provide access to good quality therapy, psychiatry, substance abuse counseling, etc.
No juvenile should be incarcerated for a nonviolent crime.
Stop sending juveniles/young adults to jail/prison due to substance abuse diseases. This is taking away a person's freedom due to a medical condition they have. It is declared a medical disease by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Incarceration should qualify as discrimination for simple possession.
Juveniles/Young adults on supervision for nonviolent crimes should be supervised by a behavior therapist, not a probation officer. Therapists are more qualified for rehabilitating individuals with behavior issues than probation officers.
Felons should be able to get their real estate license, bondsman license, or any other license available to the general public.
Every U.S. citizen, INCLUDING INMATES, should have the right to vote.
Ending mandatory minimum sentences
Provide more free extracurricular activities for youth so they can remain active and more likely to stay out of trouble.
Hire qualified staff and provide more guidance/counseling in schools.
Do away with prison-like schools.
Free substance abuse programs for juveniles available in school and out of school.
Stop out of school suspension. Why kick them out of school when we are supposed to keep them in school?
Teach more education and awareness in school on the effects of drugs on a person's life, including their families, friends, and possibly even community. (D.A.R.E. should be taught on a high school level. D.A.R.E. was taught in elementary when I was in going, high school students are the ones who need it.)
Teach high school students about all the community resources available to them for when they graduate. (Goodwill, unemployment offices, and other organizations in the community can provide a lot of help with jobs, school, training, housing, financial support, etc. They don't teach those types of things in school.)
Hold more community events to promote unity.
Access to more education opportunities for those incarcerated to provide them a better chance of a successful reentry into society.
Increase the quality of incarcerated individuals' environment to reduce the amount of stress and violence. This will help inmates better prepare for reentry. Inmates are forced to live in a negative environment but are expected to come out positive. That doesn’t really make any sense.
End immunity for government officials. It's strange how the people who enforce the laws are immune from consequences if they do not follow them.
Increase the public-school systems budget.
More extensive training and background checks required for police. They need to be qualified to serve the community. Serving the community is not just incarcerating and issuing citations to citizens, it's helping them do better and providing resources that will make a difference.
EXTREME probation/parole reform.
Those convicted of drug charges should not be denied nutritional and/or housing benefits (SNAP/EBT, WIC, TANF etc.) - Currently working on with a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court Middle district of NC. File #: 23CV320 Byrd Vs. NC Dept. of Health and Human Services.