Urban League’s Morial Urges Passage of Criminal Justice Reform Legislation, Juvenile Incarceration Reform
Washington, DC – National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial today issued the following statement in response to the introduction of criminal justice reform legislation:
“As President and CEO of the National Urban League and former Mayor of New Orleans, I am calling on Congress today to act now on two key legislative measures, unveiled today, that are long overdue in addressing the tragic breakdown of police-community relations in our nation – particularly in communities of color — and in reforming the deplorable treatment of young offenders who are incarcerated in our adult criminal justice system.
“The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act and the package of youth incarceration reform legislation being introduced today represent concrete proposals that stand to benefit from the bipartisan momentum towards achieving criminal justice reform in this 114th Congress. We must now move from talk to action.
“With respect to law enforcement reform, I say to Congress: now is the time to get it right. We must take a comprehensive and bold approach that is multi-faceted and simultaneous, because urban communities are in a state of crisis with life-and-death consequences for unarmed African American men and women interacting with law enforcement, and serious consequences for the police as well.
“A tragic déjà vu continues to play out in communities all across America, particularly in the growingly skeptical streets of Black and Brown neighborhoods. Our nation is forced to grapple with fresh accounts of police misconduct in its deadliest incarnation where the victims are unarmed Black men and women and the perpetrators are the very public servants charged with keeping them—in fact, all of us—safe; it seems only the states and the circumstances change. The recent litany of cases involving the use of excessive, and deadly, police force against unarmed African Americans is only the tip of the iceberg. Our youth and their emerging leaders are telling us, “Enough is enough.”
“The National Urban League believes that the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (H.R.2875), introduced by House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. and its many cosponsors will mark the first concrete and immediate step in a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to bring about historic change in the tragic breakdown of police-community relations in our nation – particularly in communities of color. H.R. 2875 provides incentives for local police organizations to voluntarily adopt performance-based standards to ensure that incidents of misconduct will be minimized through appropriate management, training and oversight protocols and that if such incidents do occur, that they will be properly investigated. This approach to law enforcement reform aligns with the National Urban League’s 10-Point Justice Plan for Police Reform and Accountability that was released at the end of 2014, and submitted this year to the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing. The National Urban League believes that the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act will lead us to a new generation of policing strategies for the 21st Century that ensure the safety of all of our citizens and communities, while also protecting everyone’s civil rights.
“The National Urban League also applauds House Judiciary Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee for championing the need to bring comprehensive reform to the deplorable treatment of our young offenders who are incarcerated in our adult criminal justice system. Her three legislative proposals focus on sentencing and incarceration in the federal system, humane confinement, and on reentry into society. Among the many key provisions, the proposed bills would:
“Whether in St. Louis, MO, Baltimore, MD, Charleston, SC, Cleveland, OH – through its community-based network of 95 Urban League affiliates in 36 states and the District of Columbia, the National Urban League is doing its part, on a daily basis, to meet the direct service needs of our youth and young adults who are disconnected from our schools and our workforce through after school programs, our Urban Youth Empowerment Program, and our adult reentry programs. WE are doing OUR part to try to keep our communities safe and productive – now Congress must do its part and immediately act on these comprehensive and much needed reform measures.”
