Don’t let Trump’s use of celebrities distract you from his criminal-justice failures.

I read Sally Q. Yates’ article titled: Don’t let Trump’s use of celebrities distract you from his criminal-justice failures. Sally Q. Yates served in the Justice Department from 1989 to 2017 as an assistant U.S. attorney, U.S. attorney, deputy attorney general and as acting attorney general for a short time in 2017. In her article, Yates tries to tell Trump supporters and those who agree with Trump’s decisions regarding his direction on criminal justice reform, not to be distracted by President Trump’s public sit down in the Oval Office with Kanye West to discuss Mr. West’s advice on criminal justice reform. She states that this is just a distraction from the fact that Trump’s administration has reverted to the “lock them up and throw away the key” practices of the past. Yates tries to encourage us not to lose sight of the reality that people’s lives, the fairness of our justice system and the safety of our communities hang in the balance. Here are some examples she gives of how the criminal justice system has been during Trump’s administration:  

“Under President Trump, we have returned to the indiscriminate use of lengthy mandatory minimum sentences for lower-level, nonviolent drug offenders. His administration has erased significant strides in police reform across the country — not only refusing to move forward with previously negotiated consent decrees but also refusing to help police departments as they seek reform assistance from the Justice Department. It has revoked guidance on the potential legal consequences of excessive fines, fees and cash bail that criminalize poverty. It has reversed a mandate to reduce and ultimately end the use of private prisons that are less safe and do not rehabilitate inmates. It has abandoned the “clemency initiative” launched by President Barack Obama that commuted prison terms for more than 1,700 low-level drug offenders.”  

I agree with Yates that we should all be cautious with Trump using a celebrity as a way to engage us and makes us believe he is really trying to make an effort to reform the criminal justice system. There are many elements to the criminal justice system that needs to be changed, which I think she pointed out and backed up her argument with sufficient evidence and understanding. Yates also gives a few ideas of her own that I think could help aid in the process of criminal-justice reform. Overall this is a well written article, with strong opinions from Yates who had thorough research and evidence to back her views.