Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenPelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Hillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Fox News poll: Biden ahead of Trump in Nevada, Pennsylvania and Ohio MORE announced on Tuesday a sweeping criminal justice reform plan aimed at reducing mass incarceration.

The presidential hopeful's proposal includes an end to mandatory minimum sentences and the use of private prisons. Biden's plan would also see an end to all incarceration for drug use alone, an end to cash bail and a moratorium on placing juveniles in adult prisons.

Biden is urging a $20 billion competitive grant program that aims to encourage investment in preventing incarceration and crime at state and local levels by targeting "illiteracy and child abuse that are correlated with incarceration."

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The proposal stipulates that states would need to eliminate mandatory minimums for nonviolent crimes, implement earned credit programs and "take other steps to reduce incarceration rates without impacting public safety."

The plan's rollout comes amid scrutiny of Biden's record on criminal justice matters during his time as a senator. Critics have pointed to Biden's role in passing a 1994 crime bill that imposed tougher prison sentences, provided funds for state prison construction and incentivized drug-related arrests.

Fellow Democratic presidential candidates Sens. Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility MORE (N.J.) and Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisHundreds of lawyers from nation's oldest African American sorority join effort to fight voter suppression Biden picks up endorsement from progressive climate group 350 Action 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (Calif.) have said the bill contributed to mass incarceration. Booker said earlier this month that the legislation “is a horrific bill that has led to the reality right now that is indefensible, where we have more African Americans under criminal supervision in America than all the slaves in 1850.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Bill de BlasioOVERNIGHT ENERGY: California seeks to sell only electric cars by 2035 | EPA threatens to close New York City office after Trump threats to 'anarchist' cities | House energy package sparks criticism from left and right EPA threatens to close New York City office after Trump threats to 'anarchist' cities New Year's Eve in Times Square to be largely virtual amid pandemic MORE has also criticized the measure, telling ABC News in May “we need a nominee in the Democratic Party that understands the crime bill was a mistake.”

President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE has also criticized Biden for the bill, stating that it discouraged African American voters from supporting Biden and contrasting it to his own signing of bipartisan criminal justice reform in 2018.

“[Biden] knows that a number of people are going to try to weaponize his services in Congress against him, and I know some people in this race would like to believe he never served as the vice president to President Obama. But he's proud of his record," a senior campaign official told ABC News.

"As he noted he didn't always get everything right. And I think this plan is a true reflection of what he believes,” the official added.