James Forman, Jr

Attica. The name itself has long signified resistance to prison abuse and state violence.

— James Forman, Jr

At the end of the day, I think my story is, we need black officers because African-Americans need a fair shot at…

— James Forman, Jr

One consequence of racism and segregation is that many American whites know little or nothing about the daily lives of African Americans.…

— James Forman, Jr

Most people that take jobs as police officers are taking them because they're good jobs. Many who go into these jobs are…

— James Forman, Jr

Actually creating a positive school climate, particularly in schools that are in communities that are themselves not calm and orderly, is hard…

— James Forman, Jr

A black man of my generation born in the late 1960s is more than twice as likely to go to prison in…

— James Forman, Jr

I clerked for a judge, William Norris, on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals right after law school and then for Justice…

— James Forman, Jr

I find it very frustrating how much passing the buck there is in the criminal justice system when it comes to taking…

— James Forman, Jr

You can get rid of the teacher certification requirements, and you're still not going to have a rush of incredibly high-quality people…

— James Forman, Jr

How come we never use prison, the failure of prison, as a reason not to give more prison? There's never a moment…

— James Forman, Jr

We rarely have good alternatives to offer to prison - that's our default.

— James Forman, Jr

“Mass incarceration is the result of small, distinct steps, each of whose significance becomes more apparent over time, and only when considered…

— James Forman, Jr

The fundamental problem for the teaching profession is how undervalued it is and how underpaid teachers are.

— James Forman, Jr

What if we strove for compassion, for mercy, for forgiveness? And what if we did this for everybody, including people who have…

— James Forman, Jr

In terms of addressing crime issues in the black community, the dominant political class has historically refused to endorse the full slate…

— James Forman, Jr

I had gone to law school thinking that I would do something in the service of black people.

— James Forman, Jr

While mass incarceration is a national crisis, it was built locally.

— James Forman, Jr

Mass incarceration and its never-ending human toll will be with us until we come to see that no crime justifies permanent civic…

— James Forman, Jr

We need to hire more black police officers in this country because these are good jobs, and African Americans should have their…

— James Forman, Jr

Our system never treated the failure of prison as a reason not to try more prison.

— James Forman, Jr

African-Americans have always viewed the protection of black lives as a civil rights issue, whether the threat comes from police officers or…

— James Forman, Jr

I think I've always had that orientation to try to understand the humanity behind people with whom I disagree.

— James Forman, Jr

There can be racism in a system even if a particular episode of injustice is not a manifestation of that racism. Every…

— James Forman, Jr

It's not easy. I make snap judgments, too, and I start to write people off. And then I start to remind myself…

— James Forman, Jr

Prosecutors committed to reform need talented staff members who share that commitment, and our best legal talent should flock to their offices.

— James Forman, Jr