Sanders condemns US mass incarceration, income inequality
US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has once again blasted the mass incarceration and vast income inequality in the country, two common themes in his election campaign.
Sanders was addressing a rally on Sunday at the Great Bay Community College in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, ahead of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.
He said the US incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, which has a direct relationship with youth unemployment. "What about investing in jobs and education rather than in jails and incarceration?"
“We spend $80 billion a year locking people up,” he added.
Sanders also covered his usual proposal of redistributing wealth more evenly, and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. "Wages in this country are too damn low."
Sanders who was defeated narrowly in the Iowa caucuses against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, has pledged to reduce the country’s huge wealth gap and mass incarceration.
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch has accused Washington of having the largest incarcerated population in the world with about 12 million people annually cycled through the country’s jails.
Sanders, a senator representing the neighboring state of Vermont, is seen as having a large advantage in New Hampshire over Clinton.
The 73-year-old candidate describes himself as a "democratic socialist." He runs for elected office as an independent but caucuses with the Democratic Party for purposes of committee assignments.
He is a leading proponent of issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, parental leave, climate change, and campaign finance reform.
Sanders has long been critical of US foreign policy and was an early opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He is also an outspoken critic of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and mass surveillance policies.
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