Civil Rights & Criminal Justice Reform
Our criminal justice system must reflect the values of rehabilitation, accountability, and fairness. That means reducing incarceration through penal code reform, expanding restorative justice practices, and eliminating private prisons. Diversion and probation programs should be accessible and fee-free, and we must invest in reentry support and youth programs to reduce recidivism and keep our communities whole.
Public safety must also include mental health care. I support deploying mental health professionals and social workers as first responders when appropriate, alongside stronger cultural competency training for law enforcement.
True justice also means protecting civil rights, ensuring equal access to housing, employment, and public services without discrimination or harassment. I am a strong supporter of the Colorado Civil Rights Division and its critical work to make the American Dream accessible to all Coloradans.
Featured Legislation:
This bill ensures that Coloradans with Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian heritage can finally check a box that reflects their identity, rather than being forced to select 'White' or 'Other' and be counted in state and local demographic data, strengthening visibility, equity, and representation for our communities. SB25-050
This bill strengthens services for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and deafblind Coloradans by creating a dedicated state division and funding stream to expand access, resources, and communication equity across our communities. HB25-1154
This bill launches Colorado’s first statewide language access assessment, led by the Department of Personnel and the Office of New Americans, to identify gaps, improve services, and ensure every principal department can deliver linguistically accessible government programs to all Coloradans. HB25-1153
This bill creates a Colorado Nonprofit Security Grant Program to help at-risk organizations, primarily houses of worship, protect their communities with funding for critical security upgrades, training, and infrastructure improvements. HB22-1077