--- title: "3 Criminal justice Quotes By James Forman Jr" description: "3 Criminal justice quotes by James Forman Jr. Plus more from James Forman Jr and more Criminal justice sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/james-forman-jr-2-30625_crime_as-the-tough-on-crime-movement-gathered_256530.jpg" --- > [“As the tough-on-crime movement gathered force, those who had been arrested or convicted rarely participated in debates over criminal justice policy, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/as-the-tough-on-crime-movement-gathered-force-those-who-had-been/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ea/james-forman-jr-2-30625_crime_as-the-tough-on-crime-movement-gathered_256530.jpg) > [“Understanding African American attitudes and actions on matters of crime and punishment requires that we pay careful attention to another topic that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/understanding-african-american-attitudes-and-actions-on-matters-of/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/james-forman-jr-2-30625_african-american_understanding-african-american-attitudes_1240874.jpg) > [“But class divisions influence criminal justice debates in black communities in less obvious ways as well: they explain, for example, why black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/but-class-divisions-influence-criminal-justice-debates-in-black/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/james-forman-jr-2-30625_african-american_but-class-divisions-influence-criminal-j_2371649.jpg) ## Other authors on Criminal justice - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b017/author-michelle-alexander-67636.jpg) Michelle Alexander 30 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/michelle-alexander/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-hillary-clinton-42043.jpg) Hillary Clinton 8 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/hillary-clinton/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-bernie-sanders-17420.jpg) Bernie Sanders 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/bernie-sanders/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b005/author-barack-obama-16275.jpg) Barack Obama 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/barack-obama/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b003/author-aamir-8613.jpg) Piper Kerman 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/piper-kerman/) - [Malcolm Jenkins 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/malcolm-jenkins/) - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b014/author-kamala-harris-54949.jpg) Kamala Harris 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/kamala-harris/) - [Chesa Boudin 5 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/chesa-boudin/) ## More by James Forman Jr > [“As the tough-on-crime movement gathered force, those who had been arrested or convicted rarely participated in debates over criminal justice policy, in D.C. or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/as-the-tough-on-crime-movement-gathered-force-those-who-had-been/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“As the historian David Krugler explains, “African Americans were not so much rioting as fighting back, counterattacking, repelling violence; above all, resisting.”79”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/as-the-historian-david-krugler-explains-african-americans-were-not-so/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“But when they are carrying out investigatory or pretext stops, they are much more likely to stop black and other minority drivers: blacks are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/but-when-they-are-carrying-out-investigatory-or-pretext-stops-they/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“Keeping blacks subjugated required that they be unarmed. Alabama’s law was typical: “Any freedman, mulatto, or free person of color in this state” was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/keeping-blacks-subjugated-required-that-they-be-unarmed-alabama-s-law/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“During his first year in office, Congress did just that, passing legislation that changed the formulas governing eligibility and payouts for certain means-tested entitlements.7…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/during-his-first-year-in-office-congress-did-just-that-passing/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“Fowler, Hines, and the rest of the city’s black clergymen claimed that the majority of D.C.’s citizens shared their opposition to Clarke’s bill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/fowler-hines-and-the-rest-of-the-city-s-black-clergymen-claimed-that/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“Understanding African American attitudes and actions on matters of crime and punishment requires that we pay careful attention to another topic that is often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/understanding-african-american-attitudes-and-actions-on-matters-of/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“by the year 2000, the lifetime risk of incarceration for black high school dropouts was ten times higher than it was for African Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/by-the-year-2000-the-lifetime-risk-of-incarceration-for-black-high/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“No: it was blacks who killed marijuana decriminalization in D.C.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/no-it-was-blacks-who-killed-marijuana-decriminalization-in-d-c/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“Most of all, the fight against crack helped to enshrine the notion that police must be warriors, aggressive and armored, working ghetto corners as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/most-of-all-the-fight-against-crack-helped-to-enshrine-the-notion/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“But class divisions influence criminal justice debates in black communities in less obvious ways as well: they explain, for example, why black elected officials…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/but-class-divisions-influence-criminal-justice-debates-in-black/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“(At PDS, we often lamented that there were never waiting lists for prison—just for alternatives to prison.) But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/at-pds-we-often-lamented-that-there-were-never-waiting-lists-for/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“Donald Trump, whose signature contribution to political debate had been his relentless propagation of the lie that Barack Obama is not an American citizen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/donald-trump-whose-signature-contribution-to-political-debate-had/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“The condescension was rooted in class. Those who fought for the hiring of black police occupied one stratum of black society; those who actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/the-condescension-was-rooted-in-class-those-who-fought-for-the-hiring/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) > [“gun crime: it wasn’t equally distributed throughout black America. Rather, it was concentrated among the poorest blacks, who were forced into living conditions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-forman-jr-2/gun-crime-it-wasn-t-equally-distributed-throughout-black-america/) [James Forman Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-forman-jr-2/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminal-justice/james-forman-jr-2/#itemlist", "name": "3 Criminal justice Quotes By James Forman Jr", "numberOfItems": 3, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As the tough-on-crime movement gathered force, those who had been arrested or convicted rarely participated in debates over criminal justice policy, in D.C. or nationally. They rarely told their stories. 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