Jason proudly represents Colorado’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Jason serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the Small Business Committee, and he is honored to serve as Vice-Chair of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and the National Security Task Force. Every day in Congress, Jason is fighting for common sense solutions for all Coloradans.
The criminal justice system is overdue for serious reform. The United States incarcerates over 20% of the world’s prisoners despite having less than 5% of the world’s population and the incarceration rate has grown more than 500% since the 1970s. More than 2.3 million Americans are incarcerated, and another six million are on probation or parole. People of color and individuals suffering from mental illness and substance abuse are vastly over represented in our justice system. This over-incarceration wastes taxpayer money and doesn’t make us any safer, while violating fundamental values of justice, fairness, and equality.
Over the last three decades, spending on prisons has increased from $90 billion annually to nearly $297 billion – a 229% increase. Each household in the U.S. pays an average of $2,557 per year for our justice system. Recidivism rates are going up, in part, because of the barriers to successful social re-entry.
In Congress, Jason will fight for justice and equal treatment for all by promoting criminal justice policies that reinvest in practices to improve law enforcement, reduce incarceration, and strengthen communities. With its pioneering approach to decriminalization of marijuana, Colorado has led efforts to create a justice system that can better serve the entire state.