Hillary Clinton's anti-crime plan, rolled out today in Philadelphia, smacks of the 1990s. As Ben Smith notes, "In a way, domestic terrorism -- for political purposes -- has replaced crime as a focus of policy statements and posturing." Indeed, concern about urban violence and policing just isn't on the national radar these days, although the criminal justice reform movement and anti-prison work are actually gaining in prominence on the progressive left. Clinton tips her hat to those communities by promising to invest $1 billion in programs to decrease the number of offenders in prisons and juvenile detention facilities, as well as prevent recidivism.
Once again, even this late in the game, here's a domestic issue on which Clinton has managed to out-flank Barack Obama. But no mainstream candidate has really taken any big risk on criminal justice issues. That would entail, I think, speaking honestly about the failed drug war. After all, over half of incarcerated Americans have been convicted only of non-violent drug charges. And while Obama was once opposed to the death penalty, he has since stepped back from that position. Say what you will, but Dennis Kucinich, alone among the full Democratic field, was a leader on these issues.
--Dana Goldstein
