This is historical material “frozen in time”. The website is no longer updated and links to external websites and some internal pages may not work.

Search form

Weekly Address: Building a Fairer and More Effective Criminal Justice System

Summary: 
In this week’s address, the President discussed his continued efforts to build a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system.

In this week's address, the President discussed his continued efforts to build a fairer and more equitable criminal justice system. The Department of Justice has designated the week of April 24-30 as National Reentry Week, during which the Administration will highlight how strong reentry programs can make our communities safer. In support of National Reentry Week, the President said his Administration will take additional steps to ensure applicants with a criminal history have a fair shot when competing for a federal job.

Additionally, the White House will call on businesses to commit to hiring those who have served their time, and it will issue a report on the economic costs of high incarceration rates in this country.The President emphasized that this is about more than what makes economic and practical sense – it’s about ensuring we live up to our Nation's ideals.

Transcript | mp4 | mp3