HOW PRESIDENT OBAMA CALLS FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM (1990 hits)
In this week's address, the President highlighted the problems in our criminal justice system. Our country faces a vicious cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that traps too many Americans and weakens too many communities. There are 2.2 million people behind bars in America today, compared to 500,000 just 30 years ago. This topic isn’t new – the President has talked about the unfairness of much of the criminal justice system since his time in the Senate. And while we’ve taken steps to address this issue, members of both parties agree that we can do more. Over the next few weeks, the President will travel the country and meet with Americans who are working to fix the criminal justice system, from law enforcement officials working to lower the crime and incarceration rates, to former prisoners who are earning their second chance. And he promised to continue to work with Congress to pass meaningful criminal justice reform that makes the system cost-effective, fairer, and smarter, while enhancing the ability of law enforcement to keep our communities safe.
Watch the video and learn more. Please start the conversation with your classmates, friends, teachers, and young adults in your community. What are your thoughts about non-violent persons in prison who participate in rehabilitative programs. Should they be rewarded by reducing lengthy sentences when they are unlikely to return to committing crimes?
