America
Hillary Clinton calls for overhaul of US criminal justice system
By
Arun KumarWashington, April 30
Saying that it's time for
America to come to terms with "unmistakable and undeniable" racial
patterns in policing, Hillary Clinton has called for overhauling the
"out-of-balance" criminal justice system on display in Baltimore.
In
her first major policy speech since announcing her presidential run two
weeks ago, the former First Lady and Secretary of State told an
audience at Columbia University Wednesday that "As a citizen, a human
being, my heart breaks for these young men and their families."
Listing
a number of incidents in the last year that have found black men killed
at the hands of police, she said: "We have to come to terms with some
hard truths about race and justice in America."
"There is
something wrong when trust between law enforcement and the communities
they serve breaks down as far as it has in many of our communities,"
Clinton said reacting to the police-custody death of Freddie Gray that
sparked riots in Baltimore.
"We have allowed our criminal justice
system to get out of balance and these recent tragedies should
galvanize us to come together as a nation to find our balance again,"
she said.
"We should begin by heeding the pleas of Freddie Gray's
family for peace and unity, echoing the families of Michael Brown,
Trayvon Martin, and others in the past years," Clinton added.
"There
is something wrong when a third of all black men face the prospect of
prison during their lifetimes," she said. "And an estimated 1.5 million
black men are 'missing' from their families and communities because of
incarceration and premature death."
"Those who are instigating
further violence in Baltimore are disrespecting the Gray family and the
entire community," Clinton said.
"They are compounding the
tragedy of Freddie Gray's death and setting back the cause of justice.
So the violence has to stop," she said.
"We must urgently begin
to rebuild the bonds of trust and respect among Americans. Between
police and citizens, yes, but also across society."
Clinton also
proposed reforms that need to be felt "on our streets, in our
courthouses, in our jails and prisons, in communities too long
neglected."
Clinton linked the need for reforms to income
inequality issue, too, an issue her campaign has said she will champion
on the trail.
"We also have to be honest about gaps that exists
across out country, the inequality that stalks our streets," she said,
arguing that good policing will only do so much if issues like
unemployment and poverty are not also addressed.
Clinton called
for federal funds being spent to "bolster best practices" not "to buy
weapons of war that have no place on our streets."
She also
called for ending policies of mass incarcerations, arguing that a
"missing husbands, missing fathers, missing brothers" level "profound
consequences" on families.
"Keeping them behind bars does little
to reduce crimes but it does a lot to tear apart families and
communities," Clinton said of low-level offenders.
"We need to start understanding how important it is to care for every single child as though that child was our own. "
Among
Clinton's other prescriptions: probation reform, bolstering treatment
for mental health and drug addiction and looking at alternative
sentences for lesser offenses, specifically those committed by young
people.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])