By Tyson Smith
The rise in crime has renewed “tough on crime” rhetoric from many politicians. Political advertisements running during the midterm elections targeted crime and criminals—sometimes even characterizing people as “animals”—for political gain and often used racist themes to scare viewers.
A PAC named “Citizens for Sanity” ran outrageous, extreme appeals. But Pennsylvania’s Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and other right-wing candidates also leveraged these fearful messages to gain political advantage.
Meanwhile, despite being incarcerated, tens of thousands of Americans with criminal records fight to do right in their communities and restore dignity to their communities.
At a Veterans Day ceremony inside SCI-Phoenix prison last week, I learned of a recent effort that veterans (and other groups of incarcerated residents)…
