Barack Obama - Crime
Summary
As a Senator, Barack Obama co-sponsored legislation ending racial profiling and spoke about the need to end racial profiling in his campaign literature. On Change.gov, President-Elect Obama also noted his support for the COPS program originally started by President Clinton.
President Obama signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 which helped to lessen disparities between sentencing for crack and powder cocaine. When speaking about the act, President Obama stated that the act began to address the wrongs of the past.
Change.gov Statements
Under the urban policy section of change.gov, Senator Obama noted 4 items he would address to deal with crime and law enforcement.
Crime and Law Enforcement
Support Local Law Enforcement: Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to fully funding the COPS program to put 50,000 police officers on the street and help address police brutality and accountability issues in local communities. Obama and Biden also support efforts to encourage young people to enter the law enforcement profession, so that our local police departments are not understaffed because of a dearth of qualified applicants.
Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Supports: America is facing an incarceration and post-incarceration crisis in urban communities. Obama and Biden will create a prison-to-work incentive program, modeled on the successful Welfare-to-Work Partnership, and work to reform correctional systems to break down barriers for ex-offenders to find employment.
End the Dangerous Cycle of Youth Violence: Obama and Biden support innovative local programs, like the CeaseFire program in Chicago, which implement a community-based strategy to prevent youth violence and have been proven effective.
Address Gun Violence in Cities: Obama and Biden would repeal the Tiahrt Amendment, which restricts the ability of local law enforcement to access important gun trace information, and give police officers across the nation the tools they need to solve gun crimes and fight the illegal arms trade. Obama and Biden also favor commonsense measures that respect the Second Amendment rights of gun owners, while keeping guns away from children and from criminals. They support closing the gun show loophole and making guns in this country childproof. They also support making the expired federal Assault Weapons Ban permanent.
Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
In July of 2010, President Obama signed into law the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010. This legislation increased the amount of crack cocaine required to be in possession to trigger the mandatory minimum penalties, and increased financial penalties for trafficking in drugs. While speaking to the Urban League, President Obama said the following about the law:
Across agencies, we’re taking on the structural inequalities that have held so many of our fellow citizens back, whether it’s making more housing available and more affordable, making sure civil rights and anti-discrimination laws are enforced, making sure our crime policy is not only tough, but also smart. So yesterday, we took an important step forward when Congress passed a fair sentencing bill that I look forward to signing into law -- (applause) -- a bipartisan bill to help right a longstanding wrong by narrowing sentencing disparities between those convicted of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. It’s the right thing to do. (Applause.) We’ve gotten that done.
Official Website Statements
Lead Criminal Justice Reform
The President will lead the fight to build a more fair and equitable criminal justice system. He will seek to strengthen federal hate crime legislation and will work to ensure that federal law enforcement agencies do not resort to racial profiling. He supports funding for drug courts, giving first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, if appropriate, in drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than prison terms in changing behavior. President Obama will also improve ex-offender employment and job retention strategies, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counseling so ex-offenders can successfully re-join society.
Sponsored and Cosponsored Legislation
End Racial Profiling Act of 2005 or ERPA - Cosponsor
A bill to prohibit racial profiling.
References
[1] Website: WhiteHouse.gov Article: REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON EDUCATION REFORM AT THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE CENTENNIAL CONFERENCE Author: NA Accessed on: 03/07/2011