Akron Can Start Its Own Criminal Justice Reform by Ending Its Assault on the Rights of the Poor and Homeless (Opinion)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-23-2016

Publication Title

Cleveland Plain Dealer / cleveland.com

Keywords

criminal justice reform, poverty, homelessness, panhandling

Abstract

Last month, Akron City Council unanimously adopted a resolution that offers support for President Barack Obama's "criminal justice reform agenda." The resolution urges reforms to "address the vicious cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that traps too many Americans and weakens families and communities."

Good news, Akron! If you really believe in criminal justice reform, you don't need to wait for a national task force to deliberate: You can stop arresting people for being poor in your own city. There are plenty of opportunities for reform in Akron, which has adopted some of the most aggressively anti-homeless policies in the nation.

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