…BUT IN 2007, HILLARY CLINTON ADMITTED THAT BECAUSE OF PRESIDENT CLINTON’S CRIME BILL, THERE HAS “BEEN AN UNACCEPTABLE INCREASE IN INCARCERATION ACROSS THE BOARD” AND “WE’VE GOT TO TAKE STOCK NOW OF THE CONSEQUENCES” In 2007, When Asked About President Clinton’s Crime Bill, Hillary Clinton Said “The Results…Have Been An Unacceptable Increase In Incarceration Across The Board” And “We’ve Got To Take Stock Now Of The Consequences.” “Q: Some people say your husband’s crime bill is one of the primary factors behind the rising incarceration rate for blacks and Latinos. It earmarked $8 billion dollars for prisons and continued a trend to harsher sentencing. Do you regret how this has affected the black community? A: I think that the results--not only at the federal level but at the state level--have been an unacceptable increase in incarceration across the board & now we have to address that. At the time, there were reasons why the Congress wanted to push through a certain set of penalties and increase prison construction and there was a lot of support for that across a lot of communities. It’s hard to remember now but the crime rate in the early 1990s was very high. But we’ve got to take stock now of the consequences, so that’s why I want to have a thorough review of all of the penalties, of all the kinds of sentencing, and more importantly start having more diversion and having more second chance programs.” [ 2007 Iowa Brown & Black Presidential Forum, On The Issues, 12/1/07] AS A SENATOR, HILLARY CLINTON SUPPORTED THE COPS PROGRAM, A POLICE FUNDING INITIATIVE Clinton Voted To Reinstate $1.15 Billion For The COPS Program, Which Is A Police Funding Initiative, And Co-Sponsored The COPS Improvements Act Of 2007. “In 2007, she voted to reinstate $1.15 billion in funding for the COPS Program, a police funding initiative launched by the crime bill. Clinton also co-sponsored the COPS Improvements Act of 2007, which amended existing grants for community policing programs to hire more officers on anti-terror and homeland security duties, hire more school-based police officers, and create ‘school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems facing elementary and secondary schools’. (We've seen how well that last bit works out.)” [Reason, 12/5/14] IN RECENT YEARS HILLARY CLINTON HAS TAKEN STANDS IN FAVOR OF STRICTER PUNISHMENT FOR HATE AND SEX CRIMES Reason: In Recent Years Hillary Clinton Has Taken Stands In Favor Of Stricter Punishment For Hate And Sex Crimes. “As First Lady, Clinton lobbied for her husband's crime bill, which (among other things) encouraged states to enact harsher sentencing statutes and expanded the list of crimes subject to the federal death penalty. In 2001, Clinton co-sponsored a bill to provide more funding and stricter sentencing for hate crimes. In her 2006 book It Takes a Village, Clinton praised stricter punishments for people charged with sex crimes.” [Reason, 12/5/14] IN RESPONSE TO FERGUSON, HILLARY CLINTON ARGUED WE MUST GRAPPLE WITH “HARD TRUTHS” ABOUT DISCRIMINATION AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AND “COME TOGETHER” Hillary Clinton Said Of Ferguson: “I Personally Hope That These Tragedies Give Us The Opportunity To Come Together As A Nation To Find Our Balance Again.” “‘The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, yet we have almost 25% of the world’s total prison population,’ she said, saying it’s not because Americans break more laws than other nations. ‘It is because we have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance. And I personally hope that these tragedies give us the opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again.’” [MSNBC, 12/4/14] Hillary Clinton Noted That The US Houses Almost 25% Of The World’s Prison Population And Said “We Have Allowed Our Criminal Justice System To Get Out Of Balance.” “‘The United States has less than 5% of the world’s population, yet we have almost 25% of the world’s total prison population,’ she said, saying it’s not because Americans break more laws than other nations. ‘It is because we have allowed our criminal justice system to get out of balance. And I personally hope that these tragedies give us the opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again.’” [MSNBC, 12/4/14]