Congress: It's time to reform the criminal justice system

Below is an email from Newark Mayor and New Jersey Senate candidate Cory Booker. Mayor Booker started a petition on the MoveOn website, where anyone can start their own online petition.

---

Congress: Empower incarcerated people with programs for rehabilitation and reintegration. Sign the Petition!

Dear MoveOn member,

Congress needs to put the justice back in the justice system by fundamentally reevaluating why and how we convict and incarcerate—and the best ways we can empower people who have been incarcerated to succeed once they rejoin society. 

But criminal justice goes beyond just prisons. Since 1980, the number of people under community supervision—either probation or parole—has risen by more than 250%. More than seven million people live under supervision of the criminal justice system. 

Without programs to help offenders rehabilitate, reintegrate, and stay in touch with their families, they're more likely to reoffend and take another trip through this ineffective, revolving-door system that costs us $74 billion per year. 

But more devastating are the impacts on the inmates' children and families. Not only do they lose the income and direct support from their incarcerated parents, but innocent children who have a parent in prison also suffer emotional trauma, social stigma, and destruction of their familial relationships.

Tell Congress to put the justice back in the justice system with programs to help offenders rehabilitate and reintegrate.

We can do better, and we've started to in Newark with smarter re-entry programs. But our cities and towns can't do this alone. The federal government must reform the system where it controls it, and support innovation at the local level.

That's why I started a petition to the United States Congress, which says:

For too long, the priorities of our criminal justice system have been backward. 

We have valued punishment over rehabilitation for low-level, nonviolent crimes, and we have done so at the expense of public safety, human dignity, our budget, and the economic vitality of our communities and of our nation. We must fundamentally reevaluate our criminal justice system. 

I ask you to put justice back in our criminal justice system by fundamentally reevaluating why and how we convict and incarcerate—and the best ways we can empower people who have been incarcerated to succeed once they rejoin society.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Cory Booker

This petition was started by the Cory Booker on MoveOn Petitions Political Action Edition, which is licensed to and paid for by MoveOn.org Political Action. Cory Booker didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

Want to support our work? MoveOn Civic Action is entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

---

This email was sent to eddie alfaro on September 9, 2013. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.