Sen. Rand Paul is renewing his call for reform of the nation's criminal justice system, placing "culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson … mostly" on politicians.
In an op-ed piece Tuesday
for Time, and a separate interview
with Politico, the Kentucky Republican wants reforms to "end the racial disparities in drug sentencing… [and] mandatory sentences that prevent judges from using discretion … to restore voting rights for non-violent felons who’ve served their sentences."
"In the search for culpability for the tragedy in Ferguson, I mostly blame politicians," Paul writes. "Michael Brown’s death and the
suffocation of Eric Garner in New York for selling untaxed cigarettes indicate something is wrong with criminal justice in America."
"We must look at policies, ideas, and attitudes that have failed us and we must demand better," he writes. "Real solutions will include a revival of spirit, purpose, and action."
The potential 2016 presidential contender told Politico that while he didn’t have "specific thoughts on the actual decision" from a grand jury Monday not to indict Officer Darren Wilson in the Aug. 9 shooting death of unarmed teen Michael Brown, he noted the aftermath of anger and violence reflects an "undercurrent of unease out there related to poverty, related to drugs."
"I think part of the answer is trying to reform our criminal justice system," he told Politico.
Paul
had gone to Ferguson in October to meet with black leaders there, as well as representatives with the NAACP, the Urban League and the Anti-Defamation League.
"If you don’t like your local government … you need to replace them," he told Politico, reiterating the message he gave local leaders in Ferguson in October.
He also suggested "we ought to try for something constructive," noting that Ferguson had issued about $2 million in petty fines last year. That "may seem petty" until "you’re a poor person who has to come up with hundreds of dollars in fines," he told Politico.