I find that people want aggressive policing if they as a community feel they are part of it. They don't want aggressive policing if they feel it's being imposed upon them and they are a target.
Almost one in three Americans has had some contact with the criminal justice system. When you reach that saturation point, people begin to understand, in a very visceral way, the difficulties of reentry.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the pervasive nature of the criminal justice system in American life and its impact on societal understanding of reentry challenges.
Loretta Lynch emphasizes that a significant portion of the American population has interacted with the criminal justice system, leading to a broader awareness of the complexities those individuals face when reintegrating into society. As these interactions increase, society starts to recognize the systemic barriers and personal hardships faced by those trying to rebuild their lives after incarceration. This understanding is crucial in fostering empathy and driving reforms for a more just system.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a community meeting discussing criminal justice reform, this quote can illustrate the importance of awareness regarding reentry challenges.
More from Loretta Lynch
All quotes →What we must not do - what we must never do - is turn on our neighbors, our family members, our fellow Americans, for something they cannot control, and deny what makes them human.
Often, we do not know where our choices will take us. This is why the best choices are often made based not on what they can bring to us, but what they will allow us to bring to others.
What I have realized is I cannot guarantee the absence of discrimination or hatred or prejudice, but I can guarantee the presence of justice.
The power to arrest - to deprive a citizen of liberty - must be used fairly, responsibly, and without bias.
Whether it is tribalism, racism, xenophobia, or anti-Muslim backlash we're talking about, we spend so much time and energy fighting ways to divide ourselves from others.
Similar quotes
The legal system is designed to protect men from the superior power of the state but not to protect women or children from the superior power of men. It therefore provides strong guarantees for the rights of the accused but essentially no guarantees for the rights of the victim. If one set out by design to devise a system for provoking intrusive post-traumatic symptoms, one could not do better than a court of law.
Of one thing, however, I am certain. Just as an execution without adequate safeguards is unacceptable, so too is an execution when the condemned prisoner can prove that he is innocent. The execution of a person who can show that he is innocent comes perilously close to simple murder.
Once you've acquired a criminal record, you can be discriminated against legally in employment, housing, and access to education and public benefits. You're relegated to a permanent second-class status, forever a 'criminal.' Inflicting this amount of unnecessary pain and suffering is not cheap.
To allow injustice and inequality invites a Ferguson to your community. We must stand together, black, white, brown, red, and yellow and fight for justice and equality for all. It's the only way to avoid more Fergusons.
I am deeply impressed with the gravity and wisdom with which most federal judges approach the responsibility of sentencing. It is a difficult, soul-searching task at best.
We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.