Kamala Harris on Crime

Kamala Harris's stance on crime is characterized by a shifting emphasis that reflects her varied career as a prosecutor, Attorney General, Senator, and Vice President. Early in her career as District Attorney of San Francisco, she promoted a "smart on crime" approach, though this era was also marked by criticism over decisions like not seeking the death penalty in certain cases and issues surrounding crime lab evidence handling. As Attorney General of California, she defended the state's death penalty policy despite personal opposition and oversaw her office defending convictions involving prosecutorial misconduct.

More recently, as Vice President, her rhetoric has adapted to a national conversation emphasizing reform, though this shift is viewed by some critics as opportunistic, especially concerning policies like defunding the police and bail reform. For instance, while she once supported increasing police presence, she later applauded budget cuts to police forces in 2020, though her current administration emphasizes both investing in law enforcement and community violence intervention alongside supporting commonsense gun safety laws. She has also supported legislation like the MORE Act for marijuana reform and efforts to end federal mandatory minimum sentencing.