Statement of Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. Markup of H.R. 759, the “Recidivism Risk Reduction Act,”

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representatives
John Conyers, Jr.

 “I commend the Chairman for bringing H.R. 759 before the Committee today.  It is critical, as part of the Committee’s efforts to reform our criminal justice system, that we take action to improve our federal prisons, and I am pleased that today we will consider a bipartisan, substitute amendment to this bill which will establish  a better way of operating our prisons."

“The massive growth of our prison population is a crisis in both human and fiscal terms.  Over the past four decades, the U.S. prison population has skyrocketed. "

“Since the early 1970s, the U.S. prison population has grown from 200,000 to over 2 million persons.  Since 1980, the rate of imprisonment at the federal level has grown by more than 500 percent.  As a result, during that period annual federal spending on prisons increased from 970 million dollars to more than 6.5 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars."

“The Department of Justice’s expenditures on prisons now constitute more than 20 percent of its total outlays.   This is unsustainable. "

“While imprisonment is appropriate and necessary for some offenders, we must address this crisis by making fundamental changes to the federal system. "

“The first and essential step is reforming our sentencing laws to ensure that sentences are not inappropriately and counterproductively long, and this Committee last year approved a bipartisan bill that is a good first step toward doing so. "

“Now, by taking up legislation concerning prison reform, we are taking another important step toward changing our approach to incarceration. "

“For too long, our prisons have simply warehoused individuals whom we know will eventually return to society.  For their benefit and ours, we must adopt a more constructive approach."

“That is why I support establishing a system in federal prisons that will encourage prisoners to participate in programs that will improve their lives, both inside and outside prison, and that will reduce their risk of committing additional offenses when they are released. "

“That is the goal of this legislation.  It simply makes sense that we provide incentives for prisoners to be better prepared to re-enter and be productive members of their communities. "

“I look forward to the discussion and adoption of the substitute amendment which will greatly improve the underlying bill and which will constitute a good first step toward making our federal prison system more humane, more effective and less costly.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers and Jackson Lee Unveil Package of Legislation to Reform Policing Practices and Youth Incarceration

Washington, D.C. – Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) held a press conference to unveil H.R. 2875, the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2015 and a package of three bills to reform youth incarceration. 

The Members were joined by Gregory Thomas, President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); Julie Stewart, President of the Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM); Hilary Sheltonwith the National Association for the Advancement of Colors People (NAACP), Dr. Michael Lomax, President and CEO of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF); Rev. Aundreia Alexander of the National Council of Churches; and Venidaand Raheem Browder, family of Kalief Browder.

“Over the last two years, there has been an increase in the number of our citizens that recognize faults in our nation’s criminal justice system and demand change.  The introduction of the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (LETIA) responds to diminishment of public confidence in law enforcement, particularly at the state and local level,” said Conyers.  “It is clear that improved national standards are necessary to address the ever-growing catalogue of incidents such as the case of Sandra Bland in Waller County, Texas where a routine traffic stop led to an arrest and a death-in-custody 72 hours later.  It is critical that we adopt smarter approaches to dealing with those involved with the criminal justice system.”

“It is imperative that we in Congress act swiftly and decisively to tackle the issues plaguing our criminal justice system and causing great rifts between communities and law enforcement.  By focusing on providing key resources and developing comprehensive legislative proposals that will improve policing strategies and rebuild trust between law enforcement and the communities that they serve, we can restore faith in the American criminal justice system,” said Jackson Lee.

Specifically, H.R. 2875, Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2015 aims to:

·         Help improve standards for law enforcement accreditation and encourage law enforcement agencies to obtain accreditation.

·         Provide grants to state and local government and private organizations to develop pilot programs to implement best practices focused on law enforcement recruitment, training, hiring, management, and oversight of officers.

·         Authorize funding assistance to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Community Relations Service.

·         Create a task force within the Justice Department to coordinate investigations and cases involving instances of law enforcement misconduct that violates federal law.

·         Establish better data collection concerning traffic stops, pedestrian stops and detentions, and use of deadly force by andagainst law enforcement officers.

At the press conference, Rep. Jackson Lee introduced three bills that focus on sentencing and incarceration in the federal system, expungement and sealing of federal convictions, and humane confinement of youth.  The legislation package is:

H.R. 3158, the Reforming Alternatives to Incarceration and Sentencing to Establish A Better Path for Youth Act of 2015 (RAISE Act):

·         Expands the mandatory minimum safety valve for nonviolent incarcerated youth

·         Increases the length of time an incarcerated youth can serve home confinement and expands the use of home confinement generally

·         Ends mandatory life imprisonment for incarcerated youth and creates a review mechanism after 20 years for incarcerated youth serving decades long sentences to be transferred to supervised release

·         Directs the Bureau of Prisons to provide specialized housing and programs for incarcerated youth

·         Establishes pilot programs to give incarcerated youth the opportunity to receive mentorship and to obtain skills through government and community service

·         Establishes pilot diversion programs for incarcerated youth who are high-risk, victims, or caretakers

·         Limits the length of time an individual can be incarcerated for technical probation violations

H.R. 3156, The Fair Chance for Youth Act of 2015:

·         Allows formerly incarcerated youth to petition  and seek for expungement of federal misdemeanor and nonviolent drug offense convictions and sealing of federal nonviolent convictions

H.R. 3155, The Effective and Humane Treatment of Youth Act of 2015 or Kalief’s Law:

·         Named in recognition of Kalief Browder, a young man who committed suicide after years of inhumane treatment in the Riker’s Correctional Facility, including two years of solitary confinement, would reauthorizes the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant program.

·         Requires states receiving juvenile grant funding to implement policies and procedures to provide a right to speedy trial and timely bail consideration, and to ban youth solitary confinement

·         Bans the use of solitary confinement for youth in federal facilities and allows the use of temporary separation in limited exigent circumstances that meet strict requirements

·         Requires federal law enforcement to record all custodial interrogation of youth in federal custody and establishes preservation requirements and admissibility rules for such recordings

·         Authorizes federal grant funds to support the recording of custodial interrogations by states

·         Bans the shackling and restraint of youth during federal court appearances unless there are legitimate security concerns justifying the use of restraints

·         Requires states receiving federal grant funding to implement policies and training programs specific to police-youth interactions.

LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST AND INTEGRITY ACT SUMMARY

Summary of Youth Incarceration Reform Legislation (7.21.15)

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Ranking Member Conyers Statement at FBI Oversight Hearing

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” During his opening remarks, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“ Today, we welcome Director James Comey of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for his first appearance before the House Judiciary Committee since taking office on September 4, 2013. Director Comey, I do not always agree with the policies of the FBI—but I have great confidence in your commitment to fairness and to the rule of law. In 1996, as Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, you were appointed lead prosecutor in the Khobar Towers bombing case in Saudi Arabia. In 2002, as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, you handled a wide range of complex, high profile cases while helping that district return to some measure of normalcy in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11th. And, in 2004, while serving as Deputy Attorney General of the United States, you refused certify the Bush Administration’s lawless dragnet surveillance program—and then confronted senior White House personnel at the hospital when the Administration sought to gain approval from Mr. Ashcroft directly. Time and time again, you have demonstrated your basic commitment to the rule of law, even in exigent and dramatic circumstances.

“That is why I am pleased that you are at the helm of the FBI on this, the first anniversary of our public discussion about the government’s domestic surveillance programs. Last month, the House passed H.R. 3361, the USA FREEDOM Act.  This legislation is designed to end domestic bulk collection across the board.  It applies to Section 215 of the PATRIOT Act, the FISA pen register authority, and the national security letter statutes. I am proud to have cast a vote in favor of the only measure to pass the House that rolls back any aspect of government surveillance since the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act in 1978.

“But bulk collection is only one aspect of the problem with government surveillance. Over the past few years, our early difficulties with national security letters notwithstanding, the FBI has proven a responsible custodian of the new legal authorities granted to the bureau after September 11th.  For the most part, it uses the tools Congress has provided in the manner Congress intended for them to be used. But the FBI is an end user of massive amounts of data acquired under FISA and other authorities—without a warrant or individualized suspicion.  This raises serious privacy and civil liberties concerns. Director Comey, you are a standardbearer in the struggle to  reign in unlawful surveillance, and I hope that you will work with this Committee to help us restore a measure of public trust in this area.

“Although we have spent much of the last decade focused on counterterrorism, it is critically important that the bureau balance its national security function with its traditional law enforcement mission. In this vein, Director Comey, I would like to discuss with you the scourge of gun violence in this country.  Yesterday’s shooting at Reynolds High School in Troutdale, Oregon is at least the 74th school shooting since the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut in late 2012. The FBI maintains the National Instant Background Check System, and the bureau is often called upon to participate in the investigation of high profile shootings.  Because I believe that a more complete background check system would help to stem the tide of violence, I look forward to your views in this matter.

“Similarly, although we face many threats from overseas, the FBI plays a fundamental role in confronting extremist violence here at home. The bureau has called the so-called “sovereign citizen” movement a “growing domestic threat.”  According to the Anti-Defamation League, between 2009 and 2013, there were 43 violent incidents between law enforcement officials and anti-government extremists.  30 police officers have been shot.  14 have been killed. To these numbers, we must now add the two officers shot and killed this past Sunday in Las Vegas, Nevada.  These are not isolated incidents.  Director Comey, Congress has empowered the FBI with considerable authority—including federal hate crimes legislation—to root out this extremism.  I would like to hear more about how the bureau puts these laws and resources to use.

“I would also like to discuss with you the topic of overcriminalization.  The United States represents 5 percent of the world’s population, but incarcerates more than 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. The Bureau of Prisons is strained to the breaking point.  I would like to know why, then, the FBI often recommends federal prosecutions in cases that are already being prosecuted in state court, so that an offender faces trial on the same facts in two separate jurisdiction.

“The FBI plays a critical role in protecting our nation’s computer networks from cyber criminals.  We must do more to prevent the infiltration of our cyber systems from economic and financial criminals.  I would like to hear from Director Comey about the challenges presented by the international aspects of these crimes.

“Finally, I applaud Deputy Attorney General Cole’s recent announcement on the recording of federal custodial interviews—and your support of this new policy. This new presumption—that all FBI custodial interviews will be recorded—helps all sides of the case. Federal prosecutors will finally be able to share recorded confessions with the jury.  And suspects who feel that they have been treated unfairly will be able to fall back on the recorded evidence. There are a few exceptions to the official rule that give me pause, but I will reserve criticism until we see the new policy in action.

“I look forward to learning more about the FBI’s priorities today.  I thank Director Comey for joining us for his first oversight hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.  And I yield back.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Ranking Member Conyers Statement at Overcriminalization Task Force Hearing

(WASHINGTON) – This morning, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Overcriminalization Task Force held a hearing on penalties. During his opening remarks, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers

“The Over-Criminalization Task Force finally focuses today on what is the most critical failing of our Nation’s criminal justice system: the continuing prevalence of racism as evidenced by a federal charging and sentencing regime that clearly discriminates against people of color. Racism has permeated our nation’s history since the beginning. The Constitution referred to slaves as three-fifths of a man. The Civil War was fought to abolish slavery, and then Jim Crow raised his ugly head. We are fast approaching the sixtieth anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down ‘separate but equal’ as the law of the land. And just last year, we celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the March on Washington, and the passage of the Civil Rights Act.

“As a nation, we have come so far.  We like to now think that justice is colorblind; that the system is race neutral.  But, whether overt or subconscious, the vestiges of racism are still reflected in our federal criminal justice system, and it is all the more insidious for it.  That is because criminal justice is meted out by human beings with real human failings, including bias. No longer does Jim Crow and overt racism rule the day, but rather coded phrases such as ‘policing high crime areas’ and ‘stop and frisk’ policies are the norm.  And combined with mandatory minimums, stacking and enhancement penalties, and so-called ‘three strikes’ statutes, it is these concepts that disproportionately affect communities of color, drawing more and more people into an antagonistic and unforgiving criminal justice system.

“To provide some perspective regarding this problem, let’s begin with a few facts:In the last 40 years, the U.S. prison population has grown by 700%, and now accounts for 25% of the world’s prisoners.  The number of federal prisoners alone grew by nearly 50% from 2001 to 2010.

“While only 4% of federal crimes carry mandatory minimum sentences, 34% of those in federal prison are serving mandatory sentences.

“Moreover, the racial impact of the federal penalty system is wildly disproportionate:

Ø  1-in-9 black men between ages 20 and 34 are incarcerated.

Ø  1-in-3 black men, and 1-in-6 Latinos will spend some part of their lives in prison, compared to 1-in-23 white men.

Ø  Blacks represent 12% of total drug users in the country, but account for nearly 40% of drug related arrests.

“These numbers are far worse in segregated and impoverished communities. In addition to the devastating societal cost of mass incarceration, it also results in a massive economic cost.  The so-called ‘war on drugs’ has cost $1 trillion since its beginning, and the cost to run our federal prisons cost $6.9 billion in FY 2014.

“Before we identify solutions, we must recognize how we institutionalize and normalize racism today. First, I want to focus on how racism, unconscious or not, has a disproportionate impact on criminal penalties on minority communities.  Bias can begin with the decision of where and what offenses are investigated.  With enough time and officers in a certain location, it is only a matter of time before they find ‘reasonable suspicion’ to stop, detain, and arrest someone.

“At the prosecutorial phase, this bias can be magnified through decisions about what charges to bring, what plea deal to offer, and whether mandatory minimums and enhancements apply.  People from poor communities of color are more likely to receive harsher charges and mandatory penalties.

“The mandatory minimums and statutory enhancements so ingrained in the Code that were intended to target so-called ‘kingpins’ and violent criminals do no such thing.  Their use is now propagated against low-level, non-violent offenders who are disproportionately poor people of color. The threat of these staggering mandatory de facto life sentences coerces defendants into pleading guilty.  They impose a trial penalty on those who their constitutional right to a jury trial.

“Finally, at sentencing, people of color receive harsher sentences than would whites for the same conduct through mandatory minimums and other sentencing enhancements. Racism in American has, for the most part, ceased to be overt, but the prevalence of institutionalizing discrimination by writing it into law is just as present today as it was 100 years ago.

“The question that stands is: What can we, as a Congress, do about these pressing issues? Finding solutions to unconsciously institutionalized racism in the criminal justice system, and writ large on society, is not an easy task.  But there are steps we can take. We can begin by rolling back mandatory minimums and stacking and enhancement sentencing penalties that result in cruel and unusual punishment for what are too often low-level offenses. We can revest the federal judiciary with discretion in sentencing.  Not all judges are immune to bias, but in doing so we allow for the possibility of proportional sentencing, and the ability to overturn unduly harsh sentences due to abuse of discretion. We can recognize that Congress can and should defer to States in matters that the States can – and already do – investigate, prosecute and sentence, rather than engage in wasteful duplicative federal prosecutions allowing United States Attorneys to focus on uniquely federal concerns.

“Criminal justice is just one symptom of the underlying problem, and I hope to work with my colleagues in the future to hold a more in-depth forum to explore the issues of systemic racism and its impacts on society at large that will include a look at education, public services, voting rights, drug and mental health treatment, and employment. For today, I am hopeful that our witnesses today can shed light on the issues of the disparate racial impact of the criminal justice system, the economic and societal impact of these policies, and propose potential solutions and I look forward to their testimony.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Rep. Richmond Introduces Bill to Reform Solitary Confinement

Washington DC -- Today, Rep. Richmond (LA-02) introduced a bill which would have an impact on the treatment of the United States’ prison population. This legislation would usher in significant reforms to the penal system resulting in a more humane approach to imprisonment and a more rational and fiscally conservative approach to incarceration.

The Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2014 would start a national conversation with all pertinent stakeholders about how to best develop and implement national standards for the use of solitary confinement to ensure that it is used infrequently and only under extreme  circumstances.

“Our approach to solitary confinement in this country needs immediate reform. The practices imposed on prisoners, including the seriously mentally ill and juveniles, at all levels of our penal system raise significant 8th amendment concerns and it is time we have this conversation about what kind of country we are,” said Rep. Richmond. “Do we feel comfortable putting a man or woman in a dark hole for decades on end with no additional due process? Is this practice consistent with our values? I don’t think so. I know we are better than that.”

The Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2014 would:

•             Introduce a more humane and constitutionally sound practice of segregated detention in the Nation’s prisons, while accelerating the development of best practices and making solitary confinement reform a top priority in each prison system at the Federal and State levels

•             Establish a commission named the National Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Commission to work with all pertinent stakeholders to study the practice of solitary confinement and recommend best practices for reform to Congress and the Administration

•             Require the Department of Justice to issue regulations on best practices in this area that would bind facilities in the Federal prison system and incent changes in behavior in state and local prison systems

•             Bring about significant changes to the way mentally ill prisoners and juvenile offenders are designated for segregated incarceration

The Solitary Confinement Study and Reform Act of 2014 is supported by Amnesty International, the American Civil Liberties Union, the International Coalition to Free the Angola 3 and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

John Conyers: Children are not adults - don't sentence them to prison as if they were

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

By John Conyers, Jr. 

The United States is the only country that still regularly sentences children to life without parole.

Children who are sentenced to life without parole grow up, grow older and then die behind bars.

We should not be treating children in the criminal justice system as if they were adults. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly held that irrespective of the severity of the crime, children simply do not have the same level of culpability as adults. Their physical, mental and emotional development is not the same. In addition, research shows that children possess a greater capacity for rehabilitation, change, and growth than adults.

For this reason, children require individualized treatment in the criminal justice system that is appropriate to their age and level of development. But mandatory life without parole prevents such an individualized approach — even if rehabilitation would have been feasible — and forces a child to spend his or her life and final moments behind bars.

In June 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case of Miller v. Alabama. It held that “mandatory life without parole for those under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes violates the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ and is unconstitutional.” In holding this practice unconstitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court researched the laws of other countries in addition to international norms, treaties and conventions.

Regrettably, Michigan is among the states with the largest populations of inmates serving life sentences for crimes committed as children.

A recent study from Second Chances 4 Youth and the ACLU of Michigan shows that, overall in Michigan, youth of color comprise only 29% of the youth population but represent 73% of those serving juvenile life sentences without parole. In Wayne County, according to a 2007 study, they represent 94% of the juveniles serving life without parole.

To look at these figures as only a criminal justice issue ignores the fact that this is also a civil rights crisis based on racial injustice. This, along with other criminal laws, operates as a new system of Jim Crow in this country.

In the 1980s and 1990s, the news media painted the face of the upcoming wave of violent, depraved and dangerous “super-predator children” as that of children of color. In the wake of that hysteria, Michigan passed some of the toughest juvenile justice laws in the country, which it still has — and still applies.

Despite the Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v. Alabama, the Michigan courts continue to refuse to grant retroactive relief to juvenile offenders living out mandatory life sentences without parole. This means that more than 360 juvenile offenders who were sentenced to mandatory life without parole are being denied a chance — even though that sentence would be illegal if imposed today. It also means that Michigan continues to violate the Eighth Amendment and international human rights standards.

I recognize that Michigan is not the only state facing this problem, but I believe that Michigan can lead the way to the solution.

Further, I call upon the Michigan Legislature to reexamine penalty provisions that allow for juvenile sentences of either discretionary life without parole or de-facto life without parole, that is, those numeric sentences that lock juveniles away for several decades of their life, effectively robbing them of their chance to be rehabilitated and get their young lives back on track.

Finally, I recommend that Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette exercise considerable discretion with youth sentencing, to return a degree of flexibility, pragmatism and proportionality to each individual case. Specifically, I call upon Schuette to, as a policy matter, decline to seek discretionary life without parole or de facto life without parole sentences for juveniles. We can hold children accountable without warehousing them behind bars for the remainder of their lives.

For all of these proposals, I hope that other states follow Michigan’s lead in working to restore fairness to our juvenile justice system.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers & Scott Praise President Obama’s Sentence Reductions, Call for Further Sentencing Reform

(DETROIT) – Today, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates serving lengthy time behind bars for nonviolent offenses related to crack cocaine under an older sentencing regime. This decision follows the implementation in 2011 of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, landmark criminal justice legislation that reduced mandatory minimum sentences for crack offenses and minimized the arbitrary disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Ranking Member of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), were both the primary sponsors of this legislation in the House of Representatives. In addition, they wrote to President Obama in May of 2012 about the mishandling of Clarence Aaron’s application for clemency by the U.S. Pardon Attorney’s office and pointed out the injustice of his situation. Clarence Aaron is one of the eight individuals whose sentence was commuted today. Reps. Conyers and Scott issued the following statement in response to the news:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.): “After decades of criminal and racial injustice in our drug sentencing policies, Congress took action in 2010 to counter these regressive trends by passing the Fair Sentencing Act. This legislation reduced the arbitrary disparity between harsh sentences for crack cocaine offenders versus those sentenced for powder cocaine offenses. However, many individuals sentenced prior to the Fair Sentencing Act being signed into law remain unfairly behind bars today. Today, President Obama commuted the sentences of eight such individuals serving excessive sentences. As we work in Congress to bring fairness and justice back into our criminal justice laws, I welcome this step by the President. ”

Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.): “Today, President Obama commuted the prison terms of eight men and women who were sentenced under unfair sentencing laws. Commuting these sentences was the right thing to do.  But eight commutations does not fix a broken system. Congress must enact sentencing reform measures such as H.R. 3382, the Smarter Sentencing Act, which would allow courts to make individualized assessments in nonviolent drug cases by allowing courts to resentence defendants consistent with the bipartisan Fair Sentencing Act, and H.R. 1695, the Justice Safety Valve Act, which would give judges authority to sentence offenders below the mandatory minimums if those mandatory sentences would be unjust.  Congress should pass these bills next year so we can begin to fix the failed sentencing system.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

As the Prison Population Skyrockets, Conyers Urges Congress to Curb Mandatory Minimum Sentencing & Focus on Rehabilitation

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee Overcriminalization Task Force held a hearing entitled, “Regulatory Crime: Solutions.” At the hearing, Mr. John S. Baker, Jr., Ph.D. - a visiting professor at Georgetown Law School - and Mr. Lucian E. Dervan - an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Law - testified, advocating for a rethink in the United States’ criminal justice system. After the task force hearing, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“With more than 700 out of every 100,000 Americans behind bars in the United States, we have more people incarcerated than any other nation. Some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle know that we have a serious problem on our hands. Since the 1980s, the United States prison population has more than quadrupled, meaning that today 2.3 million Americans are in prison.  At the same time, the number of African Americans behind bars is disproportionately larger than their share of the general population. This situation is an affront to our sense of justice, and must be remedied,” said Conyers.

“An increasing number of Congressmen are concerned about the impact of overcriminalization, and the creation of the Overcriminalization Task Force is a testament to their commitment to reverse this trend in the United States. This can be accomplished through a combination of several measures. First, Congress could act to rescind mandatory minimum sentences that have aggravated the problem of over-sentencing in court rooms and over-crowding in prisons. Mandatory minimum sentencing disproportionately impacts the minority communities and African American men in particular. In addition, Congress should pursue efforts to reduce recidivism, such as the bipartisan Second Chance Act reauthorization that former Judiciary Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) and I introduced this week, which provides for improved re-entry and educational services for those exiting prison.

“Overcriminalization tears apart families, shatters neighborhoods, and is a stain on our criminal justice system. As the Overcriminalization Task Force continues its important work, I hope we can focus our energies on promoting rehabilitation, recidivism, and curbing mandatory minimum sentencing.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Reps. Richmond, Conyers, Nadler, and Scott Lead Letter Calling for Investigation into Several Louisiana Prison Facilities

(WASHINGTON) – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), ranking member of the full U.S. House Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), ranking member of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations, and Congressman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) sent a letter to the Department of Justice’s Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Thomas Perez calling for investigations into the alarming conditions in several Louisiana state prison facilities.  Specifically, the members expressed deep concern that the Louisiana Department of Corrections has, “engaged in a pattern or practice of violations of the United States Constitution and federal law in its use of such confinement and detention practices.”  In the letter the representatives urge the attorney general to begin an investigation into the use of solitary confinement, and other troubling detention practices, in numerous Louisiana prison facilities, especially in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Louisiana.

Letter from U.S. House Judiciary Members Cedric Richmond, John Conyers, Jr., Jerrold Nadler and Bobby Scot...

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers: We Must End Poverty and Inequality in America

By U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

At a time when our nation needed its legal community to step forward and join in the struggle for equality, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was born. I was privileged to be present in the East Room of the White House on the day that President Kennedy urged a group of 244 lawyers to use their training and influence to further the goals of the civil rights movement.

Within weeks, the formation of the Lawyers' Committee was announced as attorneys from around the country heeded the call of the President. Fifty years later, the Lawyers' Committee remains in the vanguard of both domestic and international initiatives to protect the rights of diverse communities.

While there is no question that America has made substantial progress over the last 50 years in creating a more just society, we cannot say that serious challenges to achieving the American dream do not exist for large segments of our society. I ran for Congress in 1964, a time when we battled Jim Crow-era poll taxes and institutionalized discrimination.

In those days, the battle lines were clearly drawn and easy for anyone to see. Successful litigation and legislation have largely ended the practices of institutional discrimination and the Lawyers' Committee has played an important role. However, as the civil rights movement has expanded beyond race, we have seen a return of discriminatory practices that continue to challenge the goal of equality under the law.

The institutional memory found at the Lawyers' Committee is vital to ensuring that our society is not revisited by old discrimination in a new package. Its work during the 2012 election cycle, for example, was critical in protecting the voting rights of millions of Americans.

Just as Jim Crow-era poll taxes were designed to erect barriers to the ballot box, the current wave of voter purging, citizenship and identification schemes were intended to make it difficult for young, minority and older Americans to equally participate in the political process. This organized and well-financed campaign to subvert the election process is ongoing and will require a combination of litigation and legislation to ensure that our campaign finance system and election laws reflect the important principle of equal participation in the political process.

While voting rights remain the touchstone in the quest for equal rights, millions are fundamentally deprived of their basic liberty by a criminal justice system in a race to incarcerate. The United States has the largest prison population in the western world, with 2.25 million people behind bars. This figure illustrates the greatest inequality facing the nation. Sadly, more than 60 percent of the people in prison are now racial and ethnic minorities.

For the African-American community, these statistics are devastating, with one in every 10 Black men in their 30s in jail or prison on any given day. A felony conviction can stifle economic independence by restricting voting rights, job prospects and access to government- sponsored training programs and subsidized housing. In communities already devastated by unemployment and a lack of educational and economic opportunity, the prison pipeline has created a lost generation.

As progressive advocates like the Lawyers' Committee move to address inequality in the 21st century, the outstanding question for me is whether Congress can shift its focus to tackle the root causes underlying poverty. I fear that the drive to cut blindly entitlement programs — from the Second Chance Act to Head Start and Community Services Block Grants — runs the serious risk of exacerbating the economic isolation of poor communities and their related civil rights burdens.

Ultimately, we must act to break the persistent link between poverty and the criminal justice system. Ending inequality in America is a battle that can be won, and although the barriers are still largely the same as those of the 1960s, our approach in the 21st century must not lack the strength and courage which brought us those earlier victories.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Conyers Applauds President Obama’s Creation of New National Office to Ensure that African-American Youth Are Better Prepared for High School, College, and a Career

Says Initiative Could Increase College Graduation Rates, and Break the Tragic Cycle of High Incarceration Rates for African-Americans, but only with the Active Support of the American People

(DETROIT)— Today, Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) applauded President Obama’s new initiative to help African-American youth be better prepared for high school, college, and a career. During a ceremony at the White House, President Obama signed an Executive Order establishing the first ever “White House Initiative On Educational Excellence For African-Americans.” The initiative aims to promote best-practices in education, which will lead to more effective programming for African-American students.

President Obama’s new federal initiative builds upon a recently announced plan to make college and universities more affordable to young people, who are graduating from our nation’s universities with high levels of debt. Under the President’s new college tuition initiative, the federal government would provide more funding to colleges who keep their tuition costs down.

Representative Conyers issued the following statement in support of the new office:

                                                                                                                                                              

“For far too long, African-American youth have been left behind in our nation’s educational system, and far too many have ended up in prison.  Some of the root causes of educational failure in the African-American community have been due to a woefully inadequate federal commitment to fund successful programs like Head Start, after-school enrichment programs, and the Pell Grant college scholarship program. President Obama’s ‘White House Initiative on Educational Excellence For African- Americans’ will elevate the educational achievement of African-Americans as a national priority, so that all African-American students receive an education that fully prepares them for high school, college completion, and productive careers. In addition to President Obama’s initiative, we must fully fund technical schools, job training programs, and direct job creation programs in our nation’s inner cities.  

“This program has the potential to be one of the President’s lasting signature achievements - but only with the active involvement and support of the American people.”

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©