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Anti-Recidivism Coalition
Deputy director at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for criminal justice reform; former criminal justice director for the NAACP
PROFILE
Niaz Kasravi
Guest
FROM Niaz Kasravi
To the Point
Crime and Punishment: Is It Time for Reform? After decades of “tough on crime” laws, the US has packed its prisons with young, black convicts for non-violent drug crimes. Many conservatives now agree a system that’s not working is not worth the cost, and the call for reform is becoming bipartisan. On Monday, President Obama commuted the sentences of 46 federal prisoners serving long sentences — including life -- for non-violent drug crimes. On Tuesday, he addressed the convention of the NAACP . Today he became the first sitting president to visit a federal prison, the El Reno Correctional Institution in Oklahoma, as part of a campaign to overhaul America’s justice system.
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KCRW Features
What Mandatory Evacuation? Some People Just Won't Go The Woolsey Fire destroyed 670 structures in Malibu, including more than 400 single family homes. That makes it the most destructive fire in the history of that beachside community. But some residents say even more homes would have been lost, if not for the private citizens who defied mandatory evacuation orders to protect their neighborhoods. The homeowners who stay during a fire can be a nuisance for fire fighters... but they say they're not going anywhere next time.