President Obama Calls for Prison Reform in Speech to NAACP

President Obama Calls for Prison Reform in Speech to NAACP

In a speech to the annual convention of the NAACP in Philadelphia on Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama made the case for criminal justice reform that, at its most noteworthy points, candidly addressed the effects of overpolicing, the scourge of mass incarceration, and the impact of institutional racism. “In recent years, the eyes of more…

| |

Ferguson Shows Why Congress Must De-Militarize Police Departments

Sometimes it takes a seminal event to spark change. That might be taking place today in regards to the militarization of the nation’s police departments. The image of police wearing military uniforms, brandishing assault weapons in the streets of a small Midwestern town, firing tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, and arresting journalists is…

|

John Oliver Explains America’s Rigged Prison System

Baseball, apple pie, Chevrolet, and… prisons? America’s three most iconic things could probably be expanded to include incarceration. Consider this: nearly 1 in 100 Americans (including the childhood population) are behind bars. Amazingly, 1 in every 35 adults in the United States are either in probation, parole or incarcerated. China has a far lower prison…