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Harvard Law students

Harvard Law Students Call For Criminal Justice Reform  

Harvard Law students are urging the law school to place greater emphasis on criminal justice by not investing in prisons.
The Harvard Black Law Students Association released a statement on Twitter Wednesday in which the association endorsed demands of the National Prison Strike, The Harvard Crimson reports.
Movement for Prison Reform
The National Prison Strike started in response to a riot in a South Carolina maximum security prison, where “prison guards and EMTs made no attempt to break things up or lend medical aid from moment the fight commenced until hours after it was over, while imprisoned people were beaten and stabbed to death,” according to Shadow Proof.
The strike, according to the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee, demands “humane living conditions, access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform and the end of modern day slavery.” The strike also calls for an end to “racial overcharging, over-sentencing, and parole denials of Black and brown humans,” and for Pell Grants to be reinstated across the U.S. 
Harvard Law Students Stand In Support
Last month, roughly 30 students held a demonstration on campus in support of the strike.
“I think it’s important that we as an organization stand by this cause because a lot of our work that we have done in school is really connected to this kind of work, and especially when we’re looking at a system that disproportionately impacts black and brown people,” Lauren D. Williams, president of Harvard’s BLSA, tells The Harvard Crimson.
In its statement, the BLSA calls on Harvard to ensure that its endowment does not support institutions that profit from the prison system. Additionally, according to The Harvard Crimson, the BLSA also demands the Law School to start “movement lawyering” clinic that prepares students for social justice work, pipeline programs for jailhouse lawyers, a prison law clerk program, and appoint a critical race theorist to the faculty.
On Wednesday, Harvard Law responded by issuing a statement discussing the school’s stance on criminal justice reform.
“Criminal justice reform is the focus of a great deal of leading scholarship, research and advocacy by a number of faculty, clinics, and student organizations at HLS, including BLSA,” Harvard Law School spokesperson Robb London writes. “We learn from hearing student proposals about ways to improve the learning experience at HLS.”
Sources: The Harvard Crimson, Shadow Proof, Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee

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