The UUA and much of its membership has long been an advocate of criminal justice reform.
- We understand that there is severe inequity in our current criminal justice system starting with arrest on through sentencing and imprisonment; that people of color and those of lower income means encounter barriers and disparate policies and processes that white people and the wealthy do not.
- We acknowledge and oppose the existence of racial and ethnic profiling.
- We know the deplorable conditions of many jails, prisons and detentions center, especially those privately owned where profit is worth more than human life and dignity.
- We don’t believe the death penalty is an option.
- We hold that much of what is perceived as criminal activity is behavior that is rooted in justice issues including poverty, health and mental health issues, lack of education, substance abuse and other forms of the human condition and should be treated with compassion and rehabilitation, not punishment.
- We recognize the need and commit to focusing our attention on rectifying these inequities and their root causes and implementing measures of prevention.
Key areas of our work involve continuing the efforts to repeal the death penalty nationally, eliminating cash bail and challenging the for-profit prison systems and immigration detention centers.