Overcriminalization
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Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 115, the so-called "Thin Blue Line Act." House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) spoke on the House floor in opposition to the bill before its passage. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:
Though troubled and saddened by the recent attacks on law enforcement officials, I believe that H.R. 115, the "Thin Blue Line Act," is counterproductive to ensuring public safety and only serves to exacerbate concerns with the unfair and unjust federal death penalty.
Today, the Department of Justice announced the issuance of memorandum from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to all federal prosecutors, establishing new policies for charging criminal offenses and seeking sentences when convictions are obtained. The memorandum explicitly rescinds prior memoranda of the Department of Justice, which includes memoranda issued by former Attorney General Eric Holder.
Mr. Chairman, I welcome this hearing as the Crime Subcommittee continues its oversight of the components of the Department of Justice that advance the Department's law enforcement mission.
The Bureau of Prisons and the Marshals Service both play important roles in this regard.
It is particularly important that we closely examine the administration of the Bureau of Prisons at this time.
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Members of the U.S. House of Representatives held a forum to hear from NFL players about their own experiences and how they hope to improve relationships with minority communities and the police while supporting programs to help inmates successfully re-enter their communities.
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WHO
For the better part of two decades, the relationship between African-American communities and their police departments across the nation have hovered in a state of volatility, awaiting a single incident to combust. These tensions have grown as allegations of bias-based policing by law enforcement agents, sometimes supported by data collection efforts and video evidence, have increased in number and frequency.