Democrat Martin O’Malley touts criminal justice reforms on first SC stop.
Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley met with African-American leaders.
O’Malley meeting with leaders of historically black colleges and universities later Tuesday.
Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O'Malley discussed criminal justice reform with a small group of African-American business, legal and government professionals Tuesday on his first campaign visit to the Palmetto State since announcing his White House bid.
O'Malley is the first presidential hopeful invited to speak with the exclusive 20/20 Leaders Club – an invite-only group of black leaders from across the nation that formed this year.
The group consists of 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats, and their hope is to meet with as many presidential leaders as possible, said Ashley Bell, the group's founder and a former local government official from Gainsville, Fla.
O'Malley fielded questions about his ideas for curbing police racial profiling, excessive use of force, sentencing reform and other criminal justice issues.
On Tuesday, O’Malley said he sought to change the fact that some high-crime areas of Baltimore were not being policed much at all, which he discovered when he compared criminal activity data to policing activities.
O'Malley said under his leadership as governor, Maryland closed one of the most violent, notorious corrections facilities in the state. Maryland lowered incarceration rates and the rates that criminals became repeat offenders.
He also said he oversaw new reporting requirements that tracked complaints of discourtesy and excessive use of force and flagged frequently accused officers for review.
The Democrat said as president, he would work to reduce mandatory sentences for nonviolent crimes, abolish the death penalty and grow rehabilitation and work programs for offenders.
O'Malley said he's running for president because "the growing injustice in our country manifests in many ways, economically but also in the application of our laws, and threatens to tear our country apart."
http://www.thestate.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/the-buzz/article29937651.html