On Monday, July 25, the NAACP Criminal Justice Department will highlight some key components of our work in a workshop entitled "Impact: Understanding the Collateral Consequences of the Criminal Justice System on Communities of Color".
Today the Institute of the Black World brought together a panel of coalition partners working on finding solutions to this never ending war on communities of color. Featured speakers included Hilary Shelton of the NAACP, Jasmine Tyler of the Drug Policy Alliance, Deborah Small of Break the Chains, Neill Franklin of LEAP, and Rev. Jesse Jackson as the keynote speaker. “The current “tough on crime” policies are expensive and ineffective. We need to be “smart on crime” instead,” explained Shelton. “That means we need to stop locking up non-violent drug abusers and the mentally ill, and start treating them.”
What does it mean to be "tough on crime"? Does "toughness" depend on how many people we imprison? Or should the indicator be whether our society combats crime at its root? Current policies point directly at the former option, but we need to be smarter on crime.
On April 26, thousands of students, administrators and public officials from across Pennsylvania gathered on the steps of the state Capitol in response to proposed statewide education budgets cuts that will exceed $1.2 billion.
When a recording artist releases a great song or album, it will not be widely heard until the tune is played by our nation's DJs. DJs are responsible for getting music to the public, getting the crowd hyped at a party and promoting the work of recording artists. Without DJs, good music would be like a tree falling in the forest -- it really wouldn't matter if it made a sound. But I'm not writing to talk about what the music industry needs to do. I'm writing about what those of us who are working to ensure that our children live in a socially just, compassionate and equitable society need to do. We need to be DJs, mixmasters spinning the words of justice into a movement that creates the kind of world that will truly be livable for all Americans.
Victims, advocates, experts and law enforcement and government officials came before a panel of NAACP local, state and national officials last week to talk about police accountability, each from their own perspective and experience, addressing challenges and possible solutions.
NAACP President & CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous was joined by former Education Secretary Rod Paige, Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, Corrections USA's Mike Jimenez and many others at the National Press club to launch our new report "Misplaced Priorities." Watch the video.
The conservative former Speaker of the House sends a letter of support for the NAACP's prison reform efforts.
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous went on MSNBC Thursday morning to discuss the 'Misplaced Priorities' report. Watch the video.
The Mississippi State Conference of the NAACP joined family members of Frederick Jermaine Carter in Jackson on Thursday for a press conference demanding a federal investigation into the death of the 26 year-old.
NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous joined Texas State Conference President Gary Bledsoe in Houston on March 31st at a hearing to bring attention to police accountability after recent high-profile allegations of police brutatlity emerged in Houston. Watch the news clip from KTRK-TV.
The headline reads like a quote from the dark side of America’s history: citizenship for some but not all.
The Scott Sisters sat down with CNN's Soledad O'Brien to discuss their emotional release from prison yesterday after 16 years of incarceration.
Twelve days ago a group of men located in different cities around Georgia began a massive, coordinated, peaceful protest in support of justice and human rights.
Last week, after struggling for four years to clear his name, John White was released from prison and reunited with his family — just in time for Christmas.
