For many years `lockemup and throwawaythekey’ was the refrain of everyone who sought electoral office.  There has been a shift – left and right – as we realize the tragedy we have created: the world’s most punitive society.  Being one of the most racist societies in history has created a culture that generates violence and perpetrates it, that creates a harsh attitude toward criminal justice.  Barack Obama, the first President to visit a prison(!) discusses the issues at the NAACP annual meeting.

Lawyers and judges have managed America’s criminal justice system, feeding its huge prison archipelago.Of course the voters have been a driving force.  Lawyers and judges have, in the main, implemented the system created by elected representatives. Have we fulfilled our duty to follow the law? Or have we been derelict in our obligation to seek justice? – gwc

OTHERWISE: Obama, at NAACP, highlights harshness, racial disparities in criminal justice.