President Obama Calls for Bipartisan Efforts to Reform Criminal Justice System

Washington—Highlighting recent events in Ferguson and New York City in his State of the Union address on January 20, President Obama called for a bipartisan effort toward criminal justice reform.

“We may have different takes on the events of Ferguson and New York,” he said, “ But surely we can understand a father who fears his son can’t walk home without being harassed. Surely we can understand the wife who won’t rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift.”

As a starting point toward working collaboratively together, he said, Democrats and Republicans, community leaders, and law enforcement officials can consider current statistics that show, for the first time in 40 years, a decrease in the nation’s crime and incarceration rates.

The White House’s vision for the American criminal justice system, he said, is one “that protects and serves us all.”

To view a full transcript of the State of the Union, click here.