From Selma to Ferguson: Criminal Justice Reform

Fifty years ago in Selma, Alabama, it was white sheriff's deputies and soldiers brutally attacking civil rights marchers. Today, in Ferguson and other cities, its systemic police abuse of black people, and the use of fees and fines to finance unequal judicial systems. The Department of Justice has issued a scathing report on systemic racism in Ferguson's police department and judicial system. It's negotiating with city officials for change — with the threat of federal court action. Now there's a movement for reform on the local and federal levels, from police stops to excessive prison sentences. Two billionaires, progressive George Soros and right winger Charles Koch, have joined forces against "over-criminalization."