John Legend Meets With Louisiana Lawmakers About Criminal Justice Reform
John Legend has been a very outspoken leader on criminal justice reform. But the Grammy-winning singer doesn't just discuss it, he puts his words into action. Case in point: Legend visited the Louisiana Capitol on Wednesday (May 3) and spoke to a House judiciary committee about changing the state's criminal sentencing laws.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and other lawmakers attended the session as Legend urged them to rethink their approach on mass incarceration. The committee is also responding to a study group which recommended that Louisiana rewrite their practices on prisoner rehabilitation. The state currently has the highest incarceration rate in the nation and lawmakers are trying to figure out how to lower those statistics.
Most recently, Legend commended New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and lawmakers for moving forward with closing down Rikers Island, NYC's most notorious jail facility. “In closing Rikers, New York City takes a crucial step towards ending #massincarceration. Now the hard work begins,” he tweeted on his Twitter account.
Salute to John Legend for his concerted efforts to change the criminal justice system. Other artists would do well to follow his lead.