GRAND RAPIDS — State Rep.David LaGrand (D-Grand Rapids) held a town hall with Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist last evening to update residents on various criminal justice reform programs. Included in the discussion were Lt. Gov. Gilchrist’s Jail and Pre-trial Incarceration Task Force and Rep. LaGrand’s cash bail reform package.
“We are making great strides in criminal justice reform, but we have a lot of work left to do. There are still too many laws on the books that punish people for who they are, where they live or how much money they have,” LaGrand said. “We must ensure not only equal treatment under the law but also that our laws themselves do not discriminate. These kinds of reforms transcend partisan lines and political posturing, and I am happy to have the support of my colleagues in the Legislature and the Lt. Gov. Together, we can get this done.”
The town hall also offered updates on expungement initiatives and ways to end the ‘school to prison’ pipeline. Rep. LaGrand and Lt. Gov. Gilchrist also took questions from residents.