Council tackles criminal justice reform
Members of Philadelphia City Council set their focus on public safety Thursday, approving appointees to a new committee on criminal justice reform and proposing the creation of a commission to address one part of that puzzle - youth gun violence.
Members of Philadelphia City Council set their focus on public safety Thursday, approving appointees to a new committee on criminal justice reform and proposing the creation of a commission to address one part of that puzzle - youth gun violence.
Keir Bradford-Gray, chief of the Philadelphia Defenders Association and a cochair of the criminal justice committee, called the effort "a step in the right direction to being smart on crime."
"We should struggle and strive to understand, when are we making people more desperate? Are our policies hurting more people than protecting the safety of the individuals in the community?" she said at a news conference.
Criminal justice reform, long discussed in Philadelphia, has gained renewed attention recently, as the city is vying for a MacArthur Foundation grant that could provide $4 million to reduce the prison population and recidivism. That process is being coordinated by the city through its Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB), which has membership spanning the courts, prisons, and public safety systems.
Council President Darrell L. Clarke, who proposed creating the committee, said the group will hold hearings, some in the community, and issue proposals for change. He said the process will differ from CJAB's because, he said, Council is more accessible and transparent.
"Everybody comes to City Council. I mean, if I ask anybody in this room, maybe two people can tell you where CJAB meets," he said. "We want to use this platform and this format, which is a very, very, extremely public venue, to have a conversation."
Mayor Kenney's spokeswoman, Lauren Hitt, said CJAB's meetings are open to the public.
The committee has two other cochairmen: Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. and Kevin J. Bethel, a former deputy police commissioner. Other members include another Council member, an advocate for prisoner rights, and a defense attorney. Clarke said others would be added.
The bill that would create a commission on youth gun violence was introduced by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson.
"Every evening I turn on the television, I'm always witnessing some youth being murdered," Johnson said. "We have to make sure we're always moving diligently on this issue."
Creation of the commission would have to be approved by Council, then by voters in November. The commission would be made of 17 members, including appointees of Council and the mayor. Johnson said the commission would not incur any costs.
Also Thursday, Councilman Mark Squilla officially withdrew his bill that would have regulated music venues, saying the legislation was too tainted by controversy to rework.
215-854-2730 @TriciaNadolny
