Well since we don't have a time machine and it was signed 26 years ago, there's not much good in debating decoupling elements of it after the fact. As I said, I greatly dislike that bill for the elements that crippled black communities for an entire generation—likely multiple generations. I'm just not so naive as to say somehow Sanders holding up his nose and voting for it despite knowing it would cause irreparable harm is somehow noble.
The reality is, Congress has had those 26 years to make sweeping changes and have failed to do so. They shoulder that blame and should be judged accordingly. We need effective and transformational criminal justice reform, and it needs to be done in a way that helps revitalize the communities bills like the 94 Crime Bill devastated. Unfortunately despite it being a clear failure, we haven't seen any major legislation to undo the horrible effects of the bill. Hipefully 2021 will be the year we see a new Crime Bill that unfucks the criminal justice system.
