Criminal Justice

Dear President Obama,

I'm writing to congratulate you and to thank you for bringing the voice of the people back to the White House. The excitement for your leadership in my community is palpable.

I know that you and I share many views on the reform of our criminal justice system, and I wanted to urge you to continue pursuing the visionary work you've done in the past in this area.

Our prisons are overflowing with non-violent offenders, many of them caught up in the War on Drugs. I believe we need to change the system from the ground up - to focus on rehabilitation and second chances rather than mass incarceration. Our inequal system of justice needlessly destroys too many families and communities, and there is no end in sight. You can start us on the path to renewal.

I urge you to appoint a drug czar who supports rehabilitation and to direct the Department of Justice to pursue alternatives to incarceration. I urge you to study the decriminalization of marijuana. I also urge you to continue the work you started in Illinois and call for changes to law enforcement procedures that prevent injustice - like increased access to DNA testing and recording of interrogations.

I wish you the best of luck with the difficult road ahead, and I promise that if you continue to engage in conversation with the American people we will be here to support your efforts.

[Your name here]