THE TEA: President Barack Obama outlined his ideas for criminal justice reform Tuesday at the 106th NAACP convention in Philadelphia. He praised the members for their civil rights work across their communities in aims of clearing up the inequalities for minorities, particularly by police. Addressing how men of color are overwhelmingly incarcerated, often for nonviolent crimes, Obama called for an overhaul of federal sentencing guidelines.
President Obama said, “Since my first campaign I’ve talked about how in too many cases our criminal justice system ends up being a pipeline from underfunded, inadequate schools to overcrowded jails. What has changed though is that in recent years, the eyes of more Americans have been opened to this truth, partly because of cameras. Partly because of tragedy. Partly because the statistics cannot be ignored. We can’t close our eyes anymore.”
Obama called on bipartisan support of sentencing reform legislation to fix the issues he views as plaguing the system like poor prison conditions, inmate rape and solitary confinement. His solutions included granting voting rights to felons upon release, creating more job training programs for inmates and having employers “ban the box”, which asks prospective employees about past convictions.
The President is also seeking a way to reduce lengthy sentences for nonviolent drug convictions or doing away with them all together. On Monday, Obama cut federal prison sentences for 46 drug offenders who have harsh sentences that did not coincide with their crimes. Fourteen were life sentences. President Obama has issued a total of 90 commutations, the most since President Lyndon B. Johnson and more than his four predecessors combined.
br> Obama said, “The bottom line is that in too many places black boys and black men, Latino boys and Latino men experience being treated differently under the law.”
On Thursday, Obama will tour the El Reno medium-security facility in Oklahoma, making him the first sitting President to get a first-hand look inside of a federal prison.
CHECK PLEASE: Your move Congress.
President Obama said, “Since my first campaign I’ve talked about how in too many cases our criminal justice system ends up being a pipeline from underfunded, inadequate schools to overcrowded jails. What has changed though is that in recent years, the eyes of more Americans have been opened to this truth, partly because of cameras. Partly because of tragedy. Partly because the statistics cannot be ignored. We can’t close our eyes anymore.”
Obama called on bipartisan support of sentencing reform legislation to fix the issues he views as plaguing the system like poor prison conditions, inmate rape and solitary confinement. His solutions included granting voting rights to felons upon release, creating more job training programs for inmates and having employers “ban the box”, which asks prospective employees about past convictions.
The President is also seeking a way to reduce lengthy sentences for nonviolent drug convictions or doing away with them all together. On Monday, Obama cut federal prison sentences for 46 drug offenders who have harsh sentences that did not coincide with their crimes. Fourteen were life sentences. President Obama has issued a total of 90 commutations, the most since President Lyndon B. Johnson and more than his four predecessors combined.
br> Obama said, “The bottom line is that in too many places black boys and black men, Latino boys and Latino men experience being treated differently under the law.”
On Thursday, Obama will tour the El Reno medium-security facility in Oklahoma, making him the first sitting President to get a first-hand look inside of a federal prison.
WATCH PRESIDENT OBAMA’S FULL NAACP SPEECH
CHECK PLEASE: Your move Congress.
The post President Obama Delivers Criminal Justice Reform Speech At NAACP Convention appeared first on Tea & Breakfast.
