Editor:

As a supporter of Gov. John Hickenlooper every time he’s run for office, I want to know why he isn’t taking the lead on sentencing reform and supporting clemency for non-violent pot offenders.

In October 2015, a group of conservative Republican senators — Chuck Grassley, John Cornyn, Mike Lee, and Lindsey Graham — joined Democrats in introducing legislation to reduce mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug crimes, to roll back harsh “three strikes & you’re out” sentencing laws and to allow teenagers to have criminal records expunged.

Even among Republicans running for president, the policy agenda is moving away from the punitive approach both parties once embraced. Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Ted Cruz have all condemned the excessive imprisonment of non-violent offenders.

Read what Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, a Democrat, has proposed for his state here.

Thomas Rockman, Jr.

Denver