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Poverty Reconstructive Relief Freedom
Many Alabamians are poor, and it is ranked the nation’s poorest state. The poverty rate was 15.6% in 2023 according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, a slight decrease from 16.2% in 2022, which is above the nation’s average. The poverty rate for children (ages 0-17) in Alabama was 21.3% in 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank (FRED) of St. Louise. They are poor precisely because of such present-day orientation, and life’s changes and challenges. In Alabama, the poverty wage for a single adult is considered $7.52 per hour. That’s above the state’s rate of $7.25 per hour, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator, a tool that calculates the income required to meet basic needs for different household sizes.
Ms. Flowers' plan of action:
1. This executive order will consist of ‘CATEGORICAL CLEMENCY' – grant clemency on a categorical basis for the incarcerated citizens to address past injustices or achieve specific rehabilitation.
2. I will Commute Sentences – I will expedite the release of certain vulnerable individuals (health issues, elderly, mentally ill).
3. Further, I will issue an executive order to rehabilitate the state-level criminal justice system and agencies, including establishing policies for more equitable law enforcement training, equitable pardons and parole decisions, and pretrial services.
4. Appoint reform-minded leaders to state parole boards, policing commissions, or other justice agencies who are committed to equitable reform and decarcerating individuals.