Criminal Justice
Our nation has one of the best criminal justice systems in the world, but there is still a great deal of room for improvement.
- Too many Americans are incarcerated, with a disproportionate number of them from minority, poor and working-class backgrounds.
- Racial profiling is still too commonplace.
- There continue to be sentencing disparities, such as the one between crack and powder cocaine convictions.
- Executions are still taking place, despite growing suspicions about police and prosecutorial misconduct in some capital cases and an overall decline of public support for the death penalty.
While I firmly believe that we must face crime head-on, our nation must address the root causes of a great deal of criminal behavior --- such as the lack of equal economic and educational opportunities. We must also make sure that those charged with dispensing justice do not become government-sanctioned symbols of injustice.
Perfect Union:
- March 13, 2005: Identity Theft
- January 21, 2005: Safer and Access
Additional material:
- May 12, 2008: Funds to Fight Elder Abuse
- May 12, 2008: Metropolitan Family Services Receives Funds
- November 16, 2007: Congressman Jackson greets author/legal expert Angela Jordan Davis