ACLU report examines ‘pipeline’ legislation in Pa. | Thursday Morning Coffee

Good Thursday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

A new report from the ACLU is shedding light on legislation that it says “create new crimes, enhance existing penalties, or expand current laws that result in more people going to prison or jail.”

The ACLU’s third annual More Law, Less Justice legislative session report found that pipeline legislation, policies that make criminalization and incarceration more likely, is prevalent in Pennsylvania.

“Mass incarceration begins at the statehouse,” Elizabeth Randol, legislative director at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a statement. 

During the 2021-2022 legislative session, a total of 308 pipeline bills were introduced. Eighteen of those bills were enacted — all with bipartisan support, according to the report. 

The 18 bill exacted expanded Pennsylvania’s criminal code: 

“None of these bills make Pennsylvanians any safer,” Randol said. “And yet lawmakers insist on reaching for the same, broken tool in their toolbox. We cannot arrest, convict, and incarcerate our way out of this crisis.”

To combat the growing amount of pipeline legislation, the ACLU report recommended that state lawmakers: 

Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. (Capital-Star photo by Cassie Miller.) Our stuff

New from the D.C. Bureau: Congressional farm leaders split over work requirements for food aid, climate funds

By Casey Quinlan: Here’s where gas prices are headed (for now) and why

ICYMI:

On our Commentary Page this morning: Ruth Taylor discusses ‘What 19th century miners can tell us about the Fed’, and Marshall Tanick examines how the Supreme Court could affect workplace diversity efforts.

Elsewhere Dauphin County ordered to pay $91K for tossing political candidate out of public park, PennLive reports. The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvania’s Capitol building on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star).

What Goes On

1 p.m.: House Republican Policy Committee will hold a Public hearing on “Manufacturing Our Way into the Future” in Allison Park, Pa.

Shapiro Sightings

Gov. Josh Shapiro and acting Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger will be at the Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County in Doylestown for a rountable discussion with industry leaders. The event begins at 1:15 p.m.

And now you’re up to date.