The only news most people ever hear about the inner city comes from grim headlines; the only residents they can name are characters on 'The Wire.' Of course, ignorance of a community doesn't stop outsiders from having opinions about it or passing laws that govern it.

James Forman, Jr.

Categorized in : City People Ignorance Community

One consequence of racism and segregation is that many American whites know little or nothing about the daily lives of African Americans. Black America's least-understood communities are those poor, hyper-segregated places we once called ghettos. These neighborhoods are not far away, but they might as well be on the moon.

James Forman, Jr.

daily black moon racism

Mass incarceration and its never-ending human toll will be with us until we come to see that no crime justifies permanent civic death.

James Forman, Jr.

will see crime death

The fundamental problem for the teaching profession is how undervalued it is and how underpaid teachers are.

James Forman, Jr.

teachers how profession problem

I clerked for a judge, William Norris, on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals right after law school and then for Justice O'Connor the next year.

James Forman, Jr.

judge law justice school

A black man of my generation born in the late 1960s is more than twice as likely to go to prison in his lifetime then a black man of my father's generation. I was born after the Voting Rights Act, after the Civil Rights Act, after the Fair Housing Act.

James Forman, Jr.

man voting black father

I had gone to law school thinking that I would do something in the service of black people.

James Forman, Jr.

service black people thinking

African-Americans have always viewed the protection of black lives as a civil rights issue, whether the threat comes from police officers or street criminals. Far from ignoring the issue of crime by blacks against other blacks, African-American officials and their constituents have been consumed by it.

James Forman, Jr.

street crime police black

What if we strove for compassion, for mercy, for forgiveness? And what if we did this for everybody, including people who have harmed others?

James Forman, Jr.

forgiveness mercy compassion people

While mass incarceration is a national crisis, it was built locally.

James Forman, Jr.

national incarceration mass crisis

Mass incarceration will have to be dismantled the same way it was constructed: piecemeal, incrementally and, above all, locally.

James Forman, Jr.

above same will way

We must continue to recruit progressive prosecutors to run in local elections, support those who do, and hold them accountable if they win.

James Forman, Jr.

who run win support

Prosecutors committed to reform need talented staff members who share that commitment, and our best legal talent should flock to their offices.

James Forman, Jr.

legal best talent commitment

Attica. The name itself has long signified resistance to prison abuse and state violence.

James Forman, Jr.

name violence prison long

In court, judges tell people that their conviction carries a sentence of years, or probation. The truth is far more terrible. People convicted of crimes often become social outcasts for life, finding it difficult or impossible to rent an apartment, get a job, adopt children, access public benefits, serve on juries, or vote.

James Forman, Jr.

truth life children people

Our system never treated the failure of prison as a reason not to try more prison.

James Forman, Jr.

never try failure prison

You can get rid of the teacher certification requirements, and you're still not going to have a rush of incredibly high-quality people going into teaching as long as teachers are valued in the way they currently are. The way we value people is by how much we pay them.

James Forman, Jr.

you teacher long people

Mass incarceration is the result of small, distinct steps, each of whose significance becomes more apparent over time, and only when considered in light of later events.

James Forman, Jr.

result small light time

I find it very frustrating how much passing the buck there is in the criminal justice system when it comes to taking responsibility for outcomes.

James Forman, Jr.

find how responsibility justice

There can be racism in a system even if a particular episode of injustice is not a manifestation of that racism. Every single thing in the criminal justice system is not a manifestation of racism, but many things are.

James Forman, Jr.

injustice single racism justice

Most people that take jobs as police officers are taking them because they're good jobs. Many who go into these jobs are doing it because it's good work.

James Forman, Jr.

good police work people