Issue Position: Reform the Criminal Justice System

Issue Position

We need a criminal justice system that keeps our neighborhoods safe and does so in a way that ensures every person is treated equally. We must protect the public from dangerous criminals, but we also need to give young people who make mistakes the chance to turn their lives around and become productive members of society. Unfortunately, that's not what's happening now.

Too many people -- especially young African American males -- find themselves trapped in a "school to prison pipeline" that gives them few opportunities to succeed. I strongly support recent efforts by President Obama to offer opportunities for rehabilitation and treatment to young people who pose little danger to society.

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