"My Administration will announce new actions that will build on the progress we’ve already made," Obama said. "We’ll release more details about how we are taking steps to ensure that applicants with a criminal history have a fair shot to compete for a federal job."
The US president explained that the reason why there are so many people in prison in the United States "than any other developed country is not because we have more criminals," but "because we have criminal justice policies, including unfair sentencing laws, that need to be reformed."
Obama also said that this week, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) would also highlight "strong" programs that focus on prisoner reentry that can potentially "make communities safer," and added that his administration would also release a new report detailing the "economic costs of our high rates of incarceration."
Meanwhile, the US president also called on American businesses to make a commitment to hire more citizens returning from prison "who have earned a second chance."
Obama’s announcement comes as his administration has been pushing to change the US criminal justice system by reducing sentences for non-violent criminals. The efforts are intended to ease overcrowding in prisons in the United States and help prisoners transition back to society.
