Charged Julien News Today

I think were second in the country. but when you look at the racial disparity we are second for a different reason. we are almost the worst in the country. and to me thats a mass incarceration problem. therefore, we need to look at the people who have the ability to send people to prison. those are prosecutors. >> one visit to a homeless shelter, one visit to a treatment center, one visit to a domestic violence center, to understand that there are things out there we never learned in law school,...

>> adam introduced me to julien, a young man whos already had several run-ins with the law. he currently lives with his mom, who raised him alone. >> julien is dealing with a firearm case. he was caught in a car with a gun. they charged him and the other person that was in the car with the gun. >> the details of juliens arrest are typical in cases involving young black men. julien and a girlfriend were riding in his car when a police officer pulled him over. he accused julien of reckless driving...

Be there to save him. >> its just really sad to me, the amount of effort that it took for this one young person when i know that its happening to thousands of people around the country. its a bittersweet victory. the likelihood he gets employment, because that is not on his record goes up, which means the likelihood he stays out of trouble will go up because one of the number one factors that weve seen as experts in criminal justice reform is that employment really keeps people out of the justic...

The d.a. charged julien with a felony, illegal possession of a firearm. >> thats how people end up right back in the same position. they think it helps. it doesnt help. the jail doesnt help me. i dont think its fair. i think they look at you, they look at a person off his black and white. you see what im saying? i dont know. i cant even tell you, to be honest. its like they dont -- they dont know better. people rock people all the time, this is what they do, this is what they know. nobody showed...

Drivers license and financial aid, to get public welfare. and the idea behind that was it would deter people from committing crime, but the consequence of it has been people who were touched by the criminal justice system come out in a way worse position. so they go back to committing crime. >> if julien goes to jail, it will cost taxpayers $30,000 every year hes incarcerated. >> me talking to adam, thats big for me. because i dont have people that i can just go talk to like that. you know what ...

A person that works aint going to go sell no drugs. but hes like hold on. you see what im saying? im not dealing drugs. i work. this is my lane. everybody finds their lane and thats what they -- i dont know. how to explain. >> if the felony sticks, the life he envisions for himself wont be possible. >> if hes convicted of the crime, hell be going to jail for 18 months. it just doesnt smell like justice to me. >> julien faces some tough odds. in the 1990s, prosecutors began prosecuting felony cha...

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