WELCOME
WELCOME BACK TO FLASHPOINT. THE FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER PAUL MANAFORT WAS BACK
ON THURSDAY AND RECEIVED FOUR
YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR
DEFRAUDING BANKS AND THE
GOVERNMENT ALONG WITH FAILING
TO PAY TAXES ON MILLIONS OF
DOLLARS OF INCOME.
THAT'S A FAR CRY FROM THE 19 TO
25 YEARS PROSECUTOR SAID HE
DESERVED.
THE JUDGE SAID HE LIVED IN
OTHERWISE BLAMELESS LIFE WHICH
SORT OF MYSTIFIED A LOT OF
FOLKS CONSIDERING WHAT HE'S
ACCUSED OF.
THIS IS A MUCH BIGGER ISSUE
THAN PAUL MANAFORT. IT'S ABOUT
CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM AND
PEOPLE SERVING MUCH LONGER TIME
FOR MUCH SMALLER CRIMES.
IT'S NOT THE ONLY DISCREPANCY.
STATE POPULATIONS ARE GROWING
AT A MUST MUCH FASTER RATE.
WOMEN INCARCERATED ALMOST 10
TIMES HIGHER THAN BACK IN THE
70s AND MEN ONLY ABOUT 5%.
YOU WILL BE PART OF A FORM
COMING UP THIS NEXT WEEK
TALKING ABOUT THIS AND I THOUGHT
THAT PAUL MANAFORT THING IT IS
SORT OF A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT
A LOT OF FOLKS ARE TALKING
ABOUT.
>> GIVING IT'S INTERNATIONAL
WOMEN'S DAY IT WAS INTERESTING
I RENTED QUOTE FOR MONICA
LEWINSKY AND SHE SAID THEY WERE
FORCING HER TO WANT TO CONSIDER
27 YEARS.
THEY WERE THREATENING HER, THE
FEDERAL PROSECUTORS WERE
THREATENING HER WITH 27 YEARS
AND MANAFORT GETS WHAT HE GETS.
ONCE AGAIN, PRIVILEGE,
ENTITLEMENT AND HOW DO WE WORK
FOR SYSTEM THAT SOME PEOPLE
THINK IS AGAINST THEM.
>> DONALD TRUMP GET SOME CREDIT
BY SOME FOLKS BECAUSE HE HAD
THE FIRST STEP INITIATIVE.
WHICH TAKES A SECOND LOOK AT
SOME OF THE SENTENCING
GUIDELINES.
THIS IS SOMETHING THE CRIMINAL
JUSTICE IS REFORM PEOPLE HAVE
BEEN TALKING ABOUT.
>> THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN
THREATENING MONICA LEWINSKY BUT
IT WAS BILL CLINTON THAT GOT
OFF SCOTT FREE.
BUT MOVING FORWARD TO MANAFORT,
I DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THE
SENTENCING REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR
HIM.
HE SEEMS TO BE A CROOK TO ME.
IF HE GOES AWAY, IT'S NO SKIN
OFF MY NOSE TO LET HIM STAY
AWAY.
>> SOME KIDS SAY THE SAME THING
ABOUT DONALD TRUMP WITH ALL THE
THINGS HE HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF
AND HAS NOT BEEN INDICTED BUT
SOME COULD SAY THE SAME THING
FOR DONALD TRUMP.
>> NEVER CONVICTED, NEVER LIED.
BUT WE CAN GO ON AND ON.
>> YOU'RE THE LAWYER AT THE
TABLE.
>> THE BIGGER ISSUE IS THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM FROM TOP TO
BOTTOM.
I'M A SKEPTICAL BELIEVER.
>> WE SURPRISED?
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS 47 YEARS
NOT 47 MONTHS.
>> NEXT WEEK HE IS IN A
DIFFERENT COURTROOM WITH A
DIFFERENT JUDGE FOR DIFFERENT
CHARGES.
>> THE ISSUE HAVE TO LOOK AT IS
THE JUDGE WAS A FEDERALLY
APPOINTED JUDGE AND HE ALSO HAS
HAD VERY HARSH SENTENCES ON NON-
VIOLENT AND HE SAYS HE HAS TO
FOLLOW THE SENTENCING
GUIDELINES.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE
PERSPECTIVES AND PRIVILEGES
INVOLVED.
WE GIVE OUR JUDGES A LOT OF
TRUST BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO HOLD
THEM ACCOUNTABLE JUST LIKE
ANYBODY ELSE.
>> WHAT IS THE ANSWER TO
SOMETHING LIKE THIS?
>> THERE NEEDS TO BE REFORM. A
PERSON OF COLOR GETS A
DIFFERENT KIND OF SENTENCE AND
SOMETIMES A WHITE PERSON WHO
LOOKS LIKE ME GET GIVEN THE
SAME CRIME.
>> I THINK JAMES BALDWIN HAD A
PERFECT QUOTE.
YOU CANNOT FIX WHAT YOU CANNOT
FIX.
WE HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT
THERE IS INEQUITY IN THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM, THERE IS BIAS,
AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN AND MEN
RECEIVE HARSHER SENTENCES.
THEY RECEIVED MULTIPLE CHARGES
WHEN THEY ARE FACED WITH A
CRIME OR AS WHITES AND WHITE-
COLLAR INDIVIDUALS, THEY HAVE
CHARGES DROPPED OR CHARGES
DISMISSED. WHEN THEY ARE
INDICTED AND FOUND GUILTY THEY
SERVE LESS TIME.
I THINK THAT IS THE FIRST
THING.
>> DO YOU AGREE?
>> I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENT ON
IT BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM WELL
AND I DON'T DISAGREE THAT BLACK
FEMALES AND BLACK MALES ARE
LOOKED AT DIFFERENTLY.
PROBABLY ARE IS THE RACISM, YES
AND IT'S AWFUL.
>> I ONLY PUT YOU ON THE SPOT
BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS
HAVING AGREEMENT.
>> I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD
AGREE THAT PEOPLE ARE PUNISHED
VERY DIFFERENTLY IN THIS
COUNTRY BASED ON THE COLOR OF
THEIR SKIN AND WE NEED TO LOOK
AT THOSE ISSUES AND STARTING
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM THAT'S WHY
JUDICIAL ELECTIONS ARE VERY
IMPORTANT IN PROTECTING THE
JUDICIARY.
>> WE SHOW THE GRAPHIC ABOUT
WOMEN, WHY WOMEN INCARCERATED
10 TIMES THE RATE THAN BACK IN
THE 70s?
>> I THINK THAT THERE IS A
CORRELATION BETWEEN THE FACT
THAT IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN --
HOUSEHOLD WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR
HUSBAND OR YOUR PARTNER THAT IS
GOING AWAY FOR A CRIME AND YOU
MAY HAVE LIMITED SKILL SET,
YOU'VE GOT TO FIND A WAY TO
PROVIDE INCOME AND SOMETIMES
YOU SELL DRUGS. SOMETIMES YOU
DO THINGS THAT ARE LICIT AND
ILLEGAL.
NOT CONDONING ANY OF THOSE
THINGS BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE
BEST CHOICES FOR WHERE YOU ARE
WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT.
SOMETIMES A LOT OF AFRICAN-
AMERICAN WOMEN AND A LOT OF
LATINA WOMEN ARE NOT PUT IN
GOOD ENVIRONMENTS AND GOOD
CHOICES CANNOT BE MADE FROM
THAT.
THEY DO GET INTO A LIFE OF
CRIME AND LET'S NOT EVEN THINK
ABOUT PROSTITUTION, SEX
TRAFFICKING AND OTHER THINGS
THAT HAPPEN AS A MEANS TO
SURVIVE BECAUSE THEY DO NOT
HAVE A HIGHER SKILL SET TO
AFFORD THEM HIGHER PAY.
>> IF SOMEBODY COMMITS A CRIME
AND THEY ARE CAUGHT AND
CONVICTED THEN THEY GO DO SOME
TIME SOMEWHERE.
>> I'M NOT DISPUTING THAT BUT
UNFORTUNATELY YOU CAN HAVE A
WHITE WOMAN AND A BLACK WOMAN,
BLACK MAN AND A WHITE MAN
COMMIT THE SAME CRIME AND THEY
DO NOT HAVE THE SAME CHARGES,
THE WHITE COUNTERPARTS WILL
HAVE LESSER CHARGES AND WILL
SERVE LESSER TIME IF THEY GET
INDICTED AT ALL AND THAT'S NOT
A FAIR SENTENCE.
>> I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT
MORE FAIR.
>> THE GUIDELINES PRESCRIBED 20
TO 40 YEARS IN THE PAUL
MANAFORT CASE.
AND HE GOT 47 MONTHS.
SO IT'S NOT EVEN A CLOSE GAP.
IT'S NOT LIKE THEY GAVE HIM 15
YEARS.
BUT 47 MONTHS IS UNTHINKABLE.
I WOULD BE HARD-PRESSED TO
THINK OF ANYONE ELSE IN THE
SITUATION THAT WOULD BE GRANTED
THE SAME PRIVILEGE.
WE HAVE GUIDELINES IN PLACE AND
WHY ARE WE FOLLOWING THE
GUIDELINES -- WE ARE NOT
FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINES FOR
EVERYBODY.
>> THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN
PRISON A LOT LONGER FOR FAR
LESSER CRIMES THAN PAUL
MANAFORT.
>> ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE
LOOKING AT THE WAY THE COUNTRY
SHIFTING ON CERTAIN ISSUES WITH
PEOPLE IN WEST STATES, COLORADO
COLORADO -- CALIFORNIA