Breadcrumb Home What We Care About Criminal Justice Reform Criminal Justice Reform Mass incarceration is not only a civil rights issue, it’s an economics issue. One-third of African American men will serve time in federal prison during their lifetimes. That’s an incarceration rate five times greater than that for white men, even though studies have shown that white men and black men commit crimes at roughly the same rates. The mass criminalization of millions of men and women, mostly people of color who are imprisoned for small infractions, creates a group of second-class citizens who are unable to rebuild a life for themselves even after serving their time. Once those men and women get out of prison, they have a harder time finding employment and housing due to their arrest records. The labor movement is a movement of second chances and firmly believes our criminal justice system needs to offer people another chance to contribute to our society. The AFL-CIO staunchly opposes harmful policies like mandatory sentences for nonviolent crimes, and we support programs that help people reintegrate into their communities, such as job training, education, probation and parole. If we are going to raise wages for all workers, we have to ensure that everyone has a fair shot at earning a wage. Together we are working toward achieving a reformed criminal justice system that offers formerly imprisoned people an economic path forward and restores voting rights. The criminal justice system is rotten. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Did You Know Black men are nearly six times as likely to be incarcerated as white men. 500 Percent population change in U.S. prisons and jails since 1977. What We’re Doing Select type Article Event Media Hit Multimedia Report Resolution Speech Statement June 5, 2020 MEDIA HIT Trumka on the George Floyd Protests and the Broken Justice System (Bloomberg) December 18, 2018 LEGISLATIVE ALERT Letter in Support of an Act to Reform the Criminal Justice System A letter to senators in support of the First Step Act (S. 756), a modest but necessary measure to reform our criminal justice system. October 23, 2017 CONVENTION RESOLUTION Resolution 25: Criminal Justice Reform: A System of Corrections and Rehabilitation That Prioritizes Corrections and Rehabilitation The AFL-CIO shall actively support criminal justice reforms based upon previously passed policy positions: community policing, sentencing reform, removal of employment obstacles for the formerly incarcerated, restrictions on for-profit prisons and voting rights restoration. April 13, 2017 BLOG Joe Arpaio's Infamous Arizona Tent City Closing Joe Arpaio's infamous tent city, a sign of all that was wrong with his tenure as sheriff, is finally closing. June 7, 2016 BLOG ‘We Will Not Sit on the Sidelines’: John Legend’s Proposal for Ending Mass Incarceration I was fortunate to grow up in a union household. I know how important they are for families and communities. May 16, 2016 BLOG 'Pregnancy Isn't Part of the Uniform': Winners and Losers of the Week Each week, we take a look at the biggest friends and foes of labor. We celebrate the workers winning big and small battles, and we shame the companies or people... Load More Get Email Updates Sign Up Text WORK to 235246 to opt in to mobile messages from the AFL-CIO. Message and data rates apply. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Reply HELP for help. You will receive periodic messages with updates and news about our work. Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Contact Us About Us Affiliated Unions Careers and Apprenticeships Executive Council Statements Labor History Leadership Our Unions and Allies Programs Blog AFLCIO.tv Form a Union Press Press Releases Speeches Take Action Union Plus Benefits What Unions Do Corporate Accountability Social and Economic Justice Advocacy Workplace Advocacy What We Care About Better Pay and Benefits Civil Rights Corporate Greed Criminal Justice Reform Gender Equality Global Worker Rights Health Care Immigration Infrastructure Labor Law Manufacturing Quality Education Right to Work Sexual Harassment Social Security and Retirement Tax and Budget Policy Trade Workplace Health and Safety Legislative Alerts Legislative Voting Records Reports © 2021 AFL-CIO. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy & Terms of Use