Fixing America's ‘broken system' of criminal justice
For the first time in US history, the president visited to a federal prison. The trip was part of a broader mission by Barack Obama to fix what he described as "a broken system" of criminal justice in the United States.
Days before his tour of the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution, the White House granted clemency to 46-non-violent drug offenders who had already served 10 years behind bars. And in a speech at theNAACP, the country's oldest and largest civil rights organisation, Obama highlighted the deep racial disparities that have led to the disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans and Latinos. He also called for a cultural shift when it comes to how the US deals with prisons and prisoners.
So how ‘broken' is the system?
The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate. Federal prisons are at 130 per cent capacity, with half of their population jailed for drug offenses. The United States spends $80 billion on keeping people incarcerated. And while crime rates have steadily declined over the past three decades, the prison population has quadrupled since 1980, with African-Americans and Latinos making up 60 per cent of prisoners.
With strong bipartisan support, Obama has requested sweeping criminal justice reforms which include reducing or eliminating mandatory sentences; changes to prisons to reduce overcrowding, abuse and the use of solitary confinement; increasing programmes that help with job training and drug treatment; and restoring voting rights to former offenders.
So are Obama's reform plans the answer to this "broken" criminal justice system? Join our conversation at 19:30 GMT.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Magic: The Gathering
Expanding the wordwide renowned franchise to the small screen, Magic: The Gathering telling the stories of the Planeswalkers, which are Magic's unique magic-wielding heroes and villains, as they contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold.
On Patrol: Live
Hosting and executive producing On Patrol: Live is Dan Abrams, CEO and Founder of Abrams Media, host of Dan Abrams Live on NewsNation, Chief Legal Analyst for ABC News, and former host of Live PD. Joining Abrams is Sgt. Sean "Sticks" Larkin, retired Tulsa Police Department lieutenant with nearly 25 years of service, and Deputy Sheriff Curtis Wilson, Division Commander with the Richland County Sheriff's Department in Columbia, SC.
Such Brave Girls
Such Brave Girls explores life and love in all its ugly chaos. Join Josie, Billie and their mum, Deb as they attempt to claw their way towards a better life. Armed only with an ability to see the line and boldly step over it, these very brave girls finally have a chance to explore themselves - but should they?
Revival
Revival is set on one miraculous day in rural Wisconsin when the recently deceased suddenly rise from their graves. But this is no zombie story as the "revived" appear and act just like they once were. When local Officer and single mother Dana Cypress is unexpectedly thrown into the center of a brutal murder mystery of her own, she's left to make sense of the chaos amidst a town gripped by fear and confusion where everyone, alive or undead, is a suspect.