Amy Goodman
@DemocracyNow·3.2M subscribers·19.4K videos
With Historic Release of Drug Offenders & Help for Re-Entry, US Takes "First Step" on Prison Crisis
Posted
November 4, 2015
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2,134
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November 4, 2015
2,134
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16:37Now PlayingDemocracynow.org - In the largest one-time release of federal prisoners in U.S. history, more than 6,000 inmates have been freed early under a resentencing effort for people convicted of nonviolent drug crimes. Decisions by the U.S. Sentencing Commission last year reduced prison terms for certain drug offenses and applied those changes retroactively. Most have been released to halfway houses and home confinement, while close to one-third—about 1,700 people—are undocumented immigrants who now face immediate deportation. The release comes as President Obama has announced a series of steps to help former prisoners readjust to society, including "banning the box"—barring federal agencies from asking potential employees about their criminal records on job applications. We discuss the Obama administration’s steps and the societal challenges for newly freed prisoners with three guests: Susan Burton, founder and executive director of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, which provides support to former prisoners after their release; Five Mualimm-ak, a former prisoner and founder of Incarcerated Nation Collective, a collective of previously incarcerated people; Victoria Law, a freelance journalist, former prisoner and author of "Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women."
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