Obama Outlines Vision for Criminal Justice Reform

On Monday, President Obama outlined a broad vision for overhauling the nation’s criminal justice system. He suggested law enforcement agencies use independent investigations and special prosecutors, especially after fatal police interactions with citizens. He called for the creation of a National Crime and Justice Task Force, increased data collection, deeper police engagement in neighborhoods beyond law enforcement, and a rethinking of how the federal government distributes military equipment to local police agencies.

“The more there is trust between communities and law enforcement, the safer it is for cops, the more effectively they can do their jobs, the more cooperation there is going to be, the more likely those communities are going to be safe,” the president said at the White House.

The president's recommendations are the product on a special task force on criminal justice reform he created last December, partly in response to the uproar over the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of police officers in Ferguson, Mo., New York, and Cleveland. The task force and its recommendations come as the Obama administration veers deeper into the national conversation about how law enforcement interacts with society’s most vulnerable citizens.

Last month, the FBI’s director, James Comey, delivered an unusual address in Washington during which he acknowledged deep rifts between law enforcement and black and Latino communities. And last month, the attorney general, Eric Holder, said a moratorium should be imposed on the death penalty.

In recent days, the president has met with Republican and Democratic Congressional leaders at the White House to discuss criminal justice reform. The bipartisan effort is being driven by concern about the escalating costs of incarcerating a large share of the population. And in some quarters, it’s being driven simply by a sense of social justice. Who knows where the conversations will ultimately lead.

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Climate Change: Did climate change help fuel Syria’s civil war? A new report argues that climate change and a severe drought drove the exodus of Syria’s farmers and, in turn, the country’s civil war. (via National Geographic)

Black Environmentalists: Pacific Standard explores why there are so few black environmentalists. It’s a good question, especially given the high concentration of environmental hazards in predominately black communities.

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Original article from TakePart