The Bipartisan Criminal Justice Summit in Washington brought together organizations and speakers who are supportive of criminal justice reform.
An overhaul of U.S. criminal justice laws looks increasingly possible, and the 2016 presidential campaign just might give the effort a shot in the arm, says Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey.
The issue was the focus of Thursday’s Bipartisan Summit for Criminal Justice Reform. The event was sponsored by groups that make odd bedfellows — from the left-leaning American Civil Liberties Union to the conservative Koch Industries.
Booker and former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich were among the headliners for the day-long summit, intended to build momentum behind a host of reforms that so far haven’t gotten much traction in Congress.
[SEE ALSO] A Conversation with President Obama and “The Wire” Creator David Simon
Also there: Big crime-drama names like David Simon, who wrote HBO’s “The Wire,” and Piper Kerman, the inspiration behind Netflix’ “Orange is the New Black.”
President Obama meets with “The Wire” creator David Simon to discuss a push for criminal justice reform.
The White House released a video of Simon and President Barack Obama discussing the criminal justice system and “The Wire’s” depiction of the issues contributing to high rates of incarceration. In it, Obama emphasized the need to “humanize” both criminals and police, to create a better dialogue on criminal justice reform.
[READ MORE] at CNN
