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Publicly traded companies Geo Group and CoreCivic know their market capitalization (not to mention executive compensation) is ghoulishly set by the “sales” of prison beds to states which makes for a powerful incentive to keep as many prisoners in jail for as long as possible, and to have them come back repeatedly. no more putting juveniles in adult prisons); 7) reforming policing to minimize racial bias; 8) making it illegal for prison guard unions to lobby for increased sentencing, increased creation of criminal statutes, and all other ways that financially benefit those guards; 9) cash bail reform; and 10) eliminating private prisons.Point 10 also cannot be overlooked. What on earth are we doing in the face of this moral outrage?Third, it is a national tragedy that our prisons end up being the “end point” on a dysfunctional social “ladder” that sees certain areas of the country and certain people of color unable to receive enough effective education to secure a good job. The American Civil Liberties Union reports that 70 percent of inmates entering state prisons have not graduated from high school, 19 percent are completely illiterate, and 40 percent are functionally illiterate. “It’s very clear that, apart from Jesus Christ, the idea of a moral arc of the universe was inconceivable to King,” Dr. King, Wear argues, never intended to endorse some sort of historical determinism. Follow us across our social networks.8/5: Nurturing Our Humanity – Event with Riane Eisler California is now demonstrating that a 50 percent cutback of inmates is achievable Criminal justice reform is compassionately wise, yields better economics, and produces a lower crime rate. Here are additional selected citations in chronological. This afternoon, from the White House Briefing Room, President Obama delivered a statement on the passing of former South African President and anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, calling him "a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe … David Rutz - August 29, 2016 3:42 PM President Obama enjoys quoting or paraphrasing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s remark that "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Institutional racism in the 70s caused a flurry of laws passed to lock up ever greater proportions of the Black community using drug laws that were designed to adversely affect minorities (e.g. This saying nearly matched the 1918 expression, but the word “moral” was omitted. That doesn’t include the cost of apprehension, trial, and ultimately parole or probation. BY RINALDO S. BRUTOCO The US has incarcerated over 2,300,000 people and has over four million more in some form of direct criminal justice. Let’s render unto Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Throughout his campaign and presidency, President Barack Obama cited Dr. Martin Luther King’s precept that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it … lack of good education, grinding poverty, unequal job opportunities, etc. It became a favorite of op-ed writers and well-meaning liberals, who used it to remind their audiences of the long road ahead for those … But it doesn’t mean what Obama says it means.Throughout his campaign and presidency, President Barack Obama cited Dr. Martin Luther King’s precept that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The quote is so important to Obama that he had it literally woven into a rug in the Oval Office.The idea is not universally beloved. Citing “She had a history of speaking at the National Prayer Breakfast and being well received—and having pastors she counted as a part of her inner circle—and all of that was left off the table by a campaign that had presumptions and assumptions about what the electorate was going to look like… and they were wrong,” Wear said. phasing out of “three strikes” laws); 4) beginning to treat all drug “offenses” as a public health issue (in Portugal this has eliminated all jail time for all drug crimes with no increase in crime and massive tax savings); 5) decreasing recidivism by addressing the underlying causes of crime (e.g. As we survey the empirical measures of … This was how the drug laws were originally brought into play that have, for over 50 years, resulted in disproportionate arrests, convictions, and sentencing for Black and Brown Americans. It read: “ The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” That Martin Luther King, Jr. quote has resonated with us down through history since it was originally uttered in a slightly different form by abolitionist preacher, Theodore Parker, in 1853.