Criminal justice reform is just a difficult issue for Dems/progressives. The public immediately defaults to preferring tough-on-crime when there’s any rise in crime, and there’s not really a big constituency for reform. Walking the tightrope isn’t easy, although it is possible
The country has had a near-reversal on cultural attitudes towards policing and justice reform. Since their apex in the summer of 2020, policing reformists find themselves in a nadir, with losses in even the most progressive of places.