Criminal Justice

Correctional Officers Union is an Unlikely Supporter of Criminal Justice Reform

November 5, 2015

Kevin Boyd, writing for Rare, covered Stand Together Trust’s criminal justice reform summit Advancing Justice. Boyd focused on one panel in particular, “Striking the Balance: Sentencing and Public Safety in America,” which featured Stephen Walker, the director of government relations for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.  As Boyd writes:   

“Walker, who himself is a former corrections officer, also explained that reducing the prison population would improve the working conditions of his officers … Walker said the union had another reason to support criminal justice reform: to ensure that its officers had the proper training to fulfill their missions of incarceration and rehabilitation. He suggested that prisoners be given a risk assessment when they enter custody and that it be updated while the prisoner serves his sentence to determine future conditions.”