Published in
Oct 20, 2020
Twenty-six years ago, Derrick Hamilton was convicted for a murder he didn’t commit. The conviction was, in part, a result of the 1994 crime bill. Hamilton argues the bill gave more power to police and the prison system, including the officer who framed him. He’s not off base. Experts say the legislation helped disproportionately target Black and Brown men and accelerate mass incarceration. In 2015, Hamilton was exonerated, but the 21 years he spent in prison cemented his belief that it’s time to abolish the carceral system.
“If we are to make a fairer society, where all people are treated fairly and with dignity,” Hamilton writes, “we must start with eradicating any laws and institutions that discriminate against individuals.”
