Ben Jealous And Special Guest Sen. Cory Booker Hold Criminal Justice Reform Rally
Date and Time
Apr 11, 2018 6:00 pm
Location
Hyattsville
Apr 11, 2018 6:00 pm
Hyattsville
Ben Jealous, former National President & CEO of the NAACP, announced he will hold a rally for criminal justice reform in Prince George's County with special guest U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ).
Ahead of the rally, Jealous will release a comprehensive plan for criminal justice reform in Maryland. In February, Jealous released Building Trust, a comprehensive police reform plan to address police killings of unarmed civilians.
"To achieve a safer Maryland we must begin to bring an end to this era of mass incarceration," Jealous said. "This means prioritizing the apprehension of violent repeat offenders, diverting those incarcerated non-violent offenders into more effective rehabilitation programs, and ensuring resources are in place to support those who were formerly incarcerated as they seek to re-enter society. The data could not be more clear - we cannot incarcerate our way out of a crime problem."
Booker endorsed Jealous' campaign for governor last year, calling Jealous "a proven leader who brings an authentic voice.†Senator Booker is also a national leader on criminal justice reform, sponsoring legislation to re-calibrate prison sentences for non-violent offenders, tightening penalties for violent criminals and legalization of marijuana.
During Jealous' leadership of the NAACP, he worked on bipartisan efforts in California, Iowa, Georgia and Texas to shrink prisons and in Maryland, he was named Marylander of the Year in part because of his successful efforts to abolish the state's death penalty.Â