In this episode, Front Running takes a look at the policies for criminal justice reform. The US incarcerates more of its population than any other developed nation, and the new generation of voters have had enough of it.
For this episode of Front Running, Max and Stacy are joined by guests Sinclair Skinner, a bitcoin entrepreneur and former mechanical engineer, and Marshall Auerback, a market analyst and Levy Institute researcher. As the boomer generation dies off and the Millennials take their place as the largest voting block, attitudes toward mass incarceration are also changing. The massive increase in locking up the population coincided not only with the Civil Rights era, but also with the emergence of the boomers as the largest voting block back in the late 60s and early 70s.
The explosion of the prison population also happened along with an all fiat currency world where such decadence seemed possible. Can the millennial generation, which is weighed down by household debts, even afford such vengeful policies even if they wanted to? They look at one of the more radical platforms which was that of candidate Julian Castro, who may have exited the race early, but has left behind the very interesting ‘First Chance Plan,’ a direct attack on the Joe Biden backed 1994 Crime Bill. They also examine the role of Black Lives Matter in bringing criminal justice reform to the forefront of a multitude of election platforms. Tune in to hear what Front Running has to say about ending mass incarceration as a political idea whose time has come.
