Clintons and Private Prisons

HILLARY CLINTON ON PRISON REFORM PRESIDENT CLINTON AND HILLARY CLINTON HAVE BEEN TOUGH ON CRIME IN A COLUMN FOR SALON, JEFF STEIN ARGUED THAT PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WITH THE SUPPORT OF HILLARY, HELPED CREATE THE “WORLD’S LARGEST PRISON SYSTEM” HEADLINE: “The Clinton Dynasty’s Horrific Legacy: How ‘Tough-On-Crime’ Politics Built The World’s Largest Prison System.” [Jeff Stein, Salon, 4/13/15] Salon’s Jeff Stein: “Before Liberals Enthusiastically Sign Up For Team Hillary, They Should Remember This: In The Late 1990s, Bill Clinton Played In Instrumental Role In Creating The World’s Largest Prison System…And He Did It With His Wife’s Support.” “Hillary Clinton wants to run for president as an economic populist, as a humane progressive interested in bolstering the fortunes of poor and middle class Americans. But before liberals enthusiastically sign up for Team Hillary, they should remember this: In the late 1990s, Bill Clinton played in instrumental role in creating the world’s largest prison system — one that has devastated our inner cities, made a mockery of American idealism abroad, and continues to inflict needless suffering on millions of people. And he did it with his wife’s support.” [Jeff Stein, Salon, 4/13/15] Salon’s Jeff Stein: “The Explosion Of The Prison System Under Bill Clinton’s Version Of The ‘War On Drugs’ Is Impossible To Dispute. The Total Prison Population Rose By 673,000 People Under Clinton’s Tenure — Or By 235,000 More Than It Did Under President Ronald Reagan.” “The explosion of the prison system under Bill Clinton’s version of the ‘War on Drugs’ is impossible to dispute. The total prison population rose by 673,000 people under Clinton’s tenure — or by 235,000 more than it did under President Ronald Reagan, according to a study by the Justice Policy Institute. ‘Under President Bill Clinton, the number of prisoners under federal jurisdiction doubled, and grew more than it did under the previous 12-years of Republican rule, combined,’ states the JPI report (italics theirs). The federal incarceration rate in 1999, the last year of the Democrat’s term, was 42 per 100,000 — more than double the federal incarceration rate at the end of President Reagan’s term (17 per 100,000), and 61 percent higher than at the end of President George Bush’s term (25 per 100,000), according to JPI.” [Jeff Stein, Salon, 4/13/15] Salon’s Jeff Stein: While Running For President, Bill Clinton Emphasized Criminal Justice And Right Before The New Hampshire Primary He “Famously Flew Back To Arkansas To Personally Oversee The Execution Of A Mentally Impaired African-American Inmate Named Ricky Ray Rector.” “Just before the New Hampshire primary, Bill Clinton famously flew back to Arkansas to personally oversee the execution of a mentally impaired African-American inmate named Ricky Ray Rector. The ‘New Democrat’ spoke on the campaign trail of being tougher on criminals than Republicans; and the symbolism of the Rector execution was followed by a series of Clinton ‘tough on crime’ measures, including: a $30 billion crime bill that created dozens of new federal capital crimes; new life-sentence rules for some three-time offenders; mandatory minimums for crack and crack cocaine possession; billions of dollars in funding for prisons; extra funding for states that severely punished convicts; limited judges’ discretion in determining criminal sentences; and so on. There is very strong evidence that these policies had a small impact on actual crime rates, totally out of proportion to their severity.” [Jeff Stein, Salon, 4/13/15] Salon’s Jeff Stein: Clinton Backed A Series Of “Tough On Crime” Measures, And “There Is Very Strong Evidence That These Policies Had A Small Impact On Actual Crime Rates, Totally Out Of Proportion To Their Severity.” “The ‘New Democrat’ spoke on the campaign trail of being tougher on criminals than Republicans; and the symbolism of the Rector execution was followed by a series of Clinton ‘tough on crime’ measures, including: a $30 billion crime bill that created dozens of new federal capital crimes; new life-sentence rules for some three-time offenders; mandatory minimums for crack and crack cocaine possession; billions of dollars in funding for prisons; extra funding for states that severely punished convicts; limited judges’ discretion in determining criminal sentences; and so on. There is very