April 24. 2013
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Time to Get Smart on Crime
We must do better for the sake
of our families and future
by
B enjamin T odd J ealous
The United States has five
percent of the world's people
but 25 percent of the world's
prisoners. For the sake of
our families and future we
must do better.
Our nation leads the world
in the incarceration of our
own citizens, both on a per capita
basis and in terms of total prison
population. The problem stems from
the decades-old tough on crime"
policies from the Nixon/Reagan era.
We are stuck in a failed "tough on
crime mind state that is character-
ized by converting low-level drug
addicts into hardened criminals by
repeatedly locking them up when
they should be sent to rehab for
drug treatment.
More than 500,000 of the 2.3
million people behind bars in the
U.S. are incarcerated for nothing
more than a non-violent drug of-
fense. And over 40 percent of them
are people of color. Although rates
hoping to attend college.
not fit the crime. It is encouraging to form is not just limited to civil rights
There is no question that violent see a bipartisan effort on criminal
activists. This month, the NAACP,
criminals must be locked up. Unfor justice reform, based on the notion
hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons,
tunately, the "tough on crime" strat that mass incarceration is draining
Dr. Boyce Watkins, and coalition of
of drug use and selling are compa egy of the last four decades has
state budgets and national prison over 175 artists, actors, athletes,
rable across racial and eth become a dangerous distraction for
capacities.
elected officials and advocates
nic lines, blacks and Latinos law enforcement, diverting atten
Meanwhile, President Obama re brought national attention to this
are far more likely to be tion and resources away from vio
leased his budget proposal this issue by presenting an open letter
criminalized for drug law lent offenders and onto non-violent
month and called for the largest to President Obama, urging him to
violations than whites. One acts that require counseling, not
increase in drug treatment and pre double down on his efforts to move
in nine black children has incarceration.
vention funding in at least a decade. to a criminal justice model based on
an incarcerated parent,
The fact is that so called "tough This is a promising sign that key
prevention and rehabilitation. With
com pared to one in 28 on crime" policies have failed our
players in the White House are look signers like Will Smith, Scarlet
Latino children and one in 57 white
nation and its families. It is time to ing at drug addiction as a public
children.
Johansen and Richard Branson, the
move to "smart on crime" policies health issue, instead of an issue of
This failed approach to criminal
letter has expanded the movement
that reduce sentences for drug of crime and punishment.
justice has both a direct and indirect
to bring an end to the failed ""tough
fenses - most notably mandatory
Progress
is
also
being
made
in
impact on our children. Immediately,
on crime" policies.
minimum sentences - and focus on statehouses, where rising prison
many children are faced with foster
If we allow the current trends
rehabilitation and prevention rather costs are straining state budgets. In
care as their parent is locked away
continue, one in three black males
than punishment. Encouragingly, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas,
for a non-violent drug offense. In
bom today can expect to spend time
this kind o f reform is being sought the N A A C P and p ro g re ssiv e
our report, "Misplaced Priorities:
in prison during his life. The time
on the state, local and national lev groups have teamed up Republican
Over Incarcerate, Under Educate",
has come for all of us to do all that
els.
legislatures
to
reduce
mandatory
we found that situations like this
we can. The future of our families,
In the U .S. Senate, Chairman of minimum sentences and increase
lead t0 achievement gaps as early as
states, and nation demand it. If we
Judiciary Committee, Sen. Patrick options for parole. In Texas, the
grade school in communities that
are going to find our way back to
Leahy (D-Vt.), and Sen. Rand Paul NAACP worked with Tea Party lead
have high incarceration rates. The
first in education and job creation,
(R-Ky.) have introduced the "Jus ers and a coalition of activists to
report also shows that mass incar-
we must first decide to stop leading
tice Safety Valve Act of 2013." The pass 12 "smart on crime" reforms
ceration siphons funds from our
the world in incarceration.
bill would allow federal judges to that resulted in Texas scheduling its
schools, leading to skyrocketing
Benjamin Todd Jealous is presi
bypass federal mandatory minimum first prison closure in state histoiy.
public education costs for students
dent and chief executive officer of
sentences when the sentence does
Support for criminal justice re
the NAACP.
Let’s Lace Up and Keep Running
We can’t let
bombings close
down the world
by
C hris S chillig
I started running
about four years ago
to lose weight.
At first I hated it.
My lungs burned
and my head hurt
and every footstep felt like sledge
hammers pounding on my calves.
I persisted out of stubbornness.
I'd bought a good pair of shoes and
I didn't want to waste them.
A few months later, everything
still hurt, but not as often and not as
long. I grew to tolerate running and,
eventually, to love it. The solitude
o f the open road spoke to me, giving
me a place to sort out my thoughts,
to plan my day, or just unwind.
When solitude grew too, well,
solitary, I started running races —
5Ks, lOKs, even a half-marathon. I
was never going to be the fastest
runner— not overall, not even in my
age group — but that didn't matter.
Camaraderie was a new experi
ence. Imagine me, shunner of every
thing athletic, bonding with other
athletes, encouraging and being
encouraged, crossing the finish line government officials, the courts —
with a feeling of euphoria while fam to protect us 100 percent o f the time.
ily and friends looked on.
We wouldn't want to live in a world
Crossing the finish line.
w here they did. A p o ste r by
That's one of the things I pon comicbook m aster Frank M iller
dered after I learned of the bomb shows a young woman with her
explosions at the Boston Marathon eyes, ears and nose covered by
— that the rat bastards responsible Band-Aids. A pair of hands reaches
had corrupted yet another place that toward her mouth to place another
should be associated with victory Band-Aid there. "Just one more and
and joy.
you'll be safe," the caption reads.
First, terrorists stripped Americans
The post-Boston 2013 world is
of our sense of security on 9/11. Since one we know too well already. Races
then, it's been one reduction after will now begin with totally appropri
another. Shooters in schools, in malls, ate moments o f silence for lives lost
in airports, in churches. Some with in Boston, another painful reminder
guns, some with bombs, one crazy in of innocence lost. Runners will cross
Texas with a knife.
finish lines and remember images of
And now the Boston Marathon, another finish line, one choked in
probably the Super Bowl of races, smoke and raining blood and body
one that runners dream of qualify parts. They will wear T-shirts and
ing for, if not competing in. At least ribbons in colors yet unchosen to
three dead, more than 100 injured. mark lives senselessly lost.
Where are we safe anymore?
Another moment of joy will be
The answer, of course, is every tainted by the unfathomable actions
where and nowhere.
of a person or people who consider
Everywhere because, despite the decency to be just a word and for
horror and tragedy, the loss of life whom life is cheap.
and the injuries, most places are
And yet we soldier on. Ameri
perfectly safe, at least from the kind cans still fly, despite 9/11. We still
of homicidal cruelty that took place send our kids to school, despite
in Boston, because the bad guys Columbine, Texas A&M, Sandy
still are few and far between.
Hook and too many others. We still
Nowhere because it's impossible go to the movies, despite Aurora.
for anybody — police, volunteers,
And now we will still run, despite
Boston. We will persist out of stub
bornness, to lose the weight of the
world, despite the burning in our
lungs and the pain in our hearts.
Because we can't stop congregat
ing. We can’t close down the world
and huddle in our houses, and we
can't teach our kids to do that either.
Just one more and you'll be safe.
We've got to lace up and keep
running.
But are we running toward the
future or away from the past? Sadly,
that answer isn't as clear.
Chris Schillig is an English
teacher in Alliance, Ohio.
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