Testimony Before Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on State and Local Government in Support of Racial Impact Statements

The Sentencing Project’s Director of Advocacy Nicole D. Porter submitted expert testimony in support of Maine’s LD 2, An Act to Require the Inclusion of Racial Impact Statements in the Legislative Process. Six states – Iowa, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Oregon, and New Jersey – have implemented mechanisms for the preparation and consideration of racial impact statements; in addition, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission develops racial impact statements without statutory guidance. Racial impact statements offer one means by which state officials can begin to engage in a proactive assessment of how to address these challenging issues in a constructive and proactive way.