WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sen. Rand Paul yesterday took his conservative message of criminal justice reform to Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C. The panel discussion titled, “From Protest to Politics: A Bipartisan Approach to Criminal Justice Reform” was moderated by Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). Panelists participating in the discussion included: Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Reps. Raul Labrador (R-ID), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), and Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-VI).

“The War on Drugs has had a disproportional affect on minorities and our inner cities. Our current system is broken and has trapped tens of thousands of young men and women in a cycle of poverty and incarceration. It is my hope that my criminal justice reform legislation will help many of these young people escape this trap by reforming our criminal justice system, expunging records after time served, and preventing non-violent crimes from becoming a permanent blot on one’s record,” Sen. Paul said.