Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) delivers remarks at a campaign function in the Marvin Center at George Washington University on June 12, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)
Oct 26, 2019
A criminal justice forum in South Carolina Saturday offered Sen. Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, another chance to differentiate himself from President Donald Trump.
"The primary goal of a criminal justice system should not be punishment, but whenever possible, rehabilitation," Sanders tweeted shortly after leaving the stage at the forum.
Sanders also used social media to address the U.S. prison system and its connection to economic injustice in the country.
\u201cHow can we talk about problems of crime without mentioning that we have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the industrialized world? Building all the jails in the world will not make this right.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1572116264
On Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, the Vermont senator announced his plan to legalize marijuana and engage in restorative justice practices for those affected by the war on drugs. In August, Sanders unveiled an ambitious criminal justice reform bill that would "fundamentally transform" the carceral system.
In an opinion piece published Friday, South Carolina State Rep. Justin Bamberg argued that Sanders has the best shot at making criminal justice reform a reality.
"Sanders is the only 2020 presidential candidate who has spent a lifetime addressing the social ills and injustices that gave rise to the mass incarceration, police violence, and racial profiling that plague our system today," wrote Bamberg.
The Sanders campaign, via its "Bern After Reading" newsletter, listed a number of ways that Sanders' record on criminal justice is ahead of the president's performance in office, including on marijuana legalization, racial profiling, the death penalty, and prison reform.
Prison reform in particular is an important topic for South Carolinians. The state is notorious for its treatment of prisoners; as Common Dreams reported on October 23, conditions recently led advocates to petition the U.N. for relief because state and federal officials are not addressing the issue and leaving the prisoners with no other path to redress.
"Beyond the basic level of terror in U.S. prison conditions, conditions in South Carolina have been specifically repressive for a few years now," Jared Ware, a prisoner rights advocate, told Common Dreams on Wednesday.
Bamberg, in his op-ed Friday, said that he was backing Sanders because the senator's record shows he's ready to lead on the issue.
"I am supporting Bernie Sanders because I believe that investing in prevention, public health and fair sentencing is the best approach to criminal justice reform ," wrote Bamberg, "and because Sanders is the best candidate to ensure justice and safety for all."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Our Summer Campaign is now underway, and there’s never been a more urgent time for Common Dreams to be as vigilant as possible. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A criminal justice forum in South Carolina Saturday offered Sen. Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, another chance to differentiate himself from President Donald Trump.
"The primary goal of a criminal justice system should not be punishment, but whenever possible, rehabilitation," Sanders tweeted shortly after leaving the stage at the forum.
Sanders also used social media to address the U.S. prison system and its connection to economic injustice in the country.
\u201cHow can we talk about problems of crime without mentioning that we have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the industrialized world? Building all the jails in the world will not make this right.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1572116264
On Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, the Vermont senator announced his plan to legalize marijuana and engage in restorative justice practices for those affected by the war on drugs. In August, Sanders unveiled an ambitious criminal justice reform bill that would "fundamentally transform" the carceral system.
In an opinion piece published Friday, South Carolina State Rep. Justin Bamberg argued that Sanders has the best shot at making criminal justice reform a reality.
"Sanders is the only 2020 presidential candidate who has spent a lifetime addressing the social ills and injustices that gave rise to the mass incarceration, police violence, and racial profiling that plague our system today," wrote Bamberg.
The Sanders campaign, via its "Bern After Reading" newsletter, listed a number of ways that Sanders' record on criminal justice is ahead of the president's performance in office, including on marijuana legalization, racial profiling, the death penalty, and prison reform.
Prison reform in particular is an important topic for South Carolinians. The state is notorious for its treatment of prisoners; as Common Dreams reported on October 23, conditions recently led advocates to petition the U.N. for relief because state and federal officials are not addressing the issue and leaving the prisoners with no other path to redress.
"Beyond the basic level of terror in U.S. prison conditions, conditions in South Carolina have been specifically repressive for a few years now," Jared Ware, a prisoner rights advocate, told Common Dreams on Wednesday.
Bamberg, in his op-ed Friday, said that he was backing Sanders because the senator's record shows he's ready to lead on the issue.
"I am supporting Bernie Sanders because I believe that investing in prevention, public health and fair sentencing is the best approach to criminal justice reform ," wrote Bamberg, "and because Sanders is the best candidate to ensure justice and safety for all."
A criminal justice forum in South Carolina Saturday offered Sen. Bernie Sanders, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, another chance to differentiate himself from President Donald Trump.
"The primary goal of a criminal justice system should not be punishment, but whenever possible, rehabilitation," Sanders tweeted shortly after leaving the stage at the forum.
Sanders also used social media to address the U.S. prison system and its connection to economic injustice in the country.
\u201cHow can we talk about problems of crime without mentioning that we have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty in the industrialized world? Building all the jails in the world will not make this right.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1572116264
On Thursday, as Common Dreams reported, the Vermont senator announced his plan to legalize marijuana and engage in restorative justice practices for those affected by the war on drugs. In August, Sanders unveiled an ambitious criminal justice reform bill that would "fundamentally transform" the carceral system.
In an opinion piece published Friday, South Carolina State Rep. Justin Bamberg argued that Sanders has the best shot at making criminal justice reform a reality.
"Sanders is the only 2020 presidential candidate who has spent a lifetime addressing the social ills and injustices that gave rise to the mass incarceration, police violence, and racial profiling that plague our system today," wrote Bamberg.
The Sanders campaign, via its "Bern After Reading" newsletter, listed a number of ways that Sanders' record on criminal justice is ahead of the president's performance in office, including on marijuana legalization, racial profiling, the death penalty, and prison reform.
Prison reform in particular is an important topic for South Carolinians. The state is notorious for its treatment of prisoners; as Common Dreams reported on October 23, conditions recently led advocates to petition the U.N. for relief because state and federal officials are not addressing the issue and leaving the prisoners with no other path to redress.
"Beyond the basic level of terror in U.S. prison conditions, conditions in South Carolina have been specifically repressive for a few years now," Jared Ware, a prisoner rights advocate, told Common Dreams on Wednesday.
Bamberg, in his op-ed Friday, said that he was backing Sanders because the senator's record shows he's ready to lead on the issue.
"I am supporting Bernie Sanders because I believe that investing in prevention, public health and fair sentencing is the best approach to criminal justice reform ," wrote Bamberg, "and because Sanders is the best candidate to ensure justice and safety for all."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.