In response to the DOJ’s one-day sentencing recommendation for one of the ex-police officers convicted in the killing of Breonna Taylor, Len Kamdang, Director of the Criminal Justice Project at the Lawyers’ Committee issued the following statement:
“We are deeply dismayed by the Department of Justice’s recommendation that Brett Hankison—one of the officers responsible for the death of Breonna Taylor—serve only one day in prison. This proposal not only undermines the decision by a jury in this case and the heinous nature of his actions, but it also sends a dangerous, minimizing message.
At the same time, we must challenge America’s carceral mindset: simply locking people up—or in this case, suggesting a symbolic 24‑hour sentence—does not equate to justice. Yet punitive approaches alone are insufficient and frequently fail to address deeper systemic issues.
This moment also highlights stark racial disparities in sentencing. Examples include Black women who have received lengthy sentences for firing warning shots to protect themselves from domestic abusers and for casting provisional ballots while under Court supervision. Meanwhile, a man who took part in the botched raid that ended a Black woman’s life may walk away with just a day behind bars. That contrast exposes a brutal truth: our system still fails to protect Black women.
By advocating such a lenient sentence, the Justice Department effectively proclaims that Breonna Taylor’s life did not matter. We reject that. Breonna Taylor’s life mattered. We demand accountability. We will continue to push for reform and demand a justice system that respects Black people and upholds actual justice under law.”
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