CONVERSATION WITH REMARKABLE MIND

How inequality has led to criminalization of the Poor in America

Prof. Peter Edelman is the Carnack Waterhouse Professor of Law and Public Policy at Georgetown University where he is also the faculty director for the Center for Poverty and Inequality.  Early in his career, he served as a legislative assistant to Robert F Kennedy up until his assassination, and accompanied the Senator on his trips around the poverty regions of the nation. Later he served as the Deputy Director for the Robert F Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights.  During the Clinton administration, Prof Edelman was a counselor for Health and Human Services secretary Donna Shalala. He eventually resigned in protest over Clinton's welfare reform legislation which destroyed social welfare safety nets. Peter has written extensively on issues of poverty and inequality, welfare, and juvenile justice. Peter's most recent book is "Not a Crime to be Poor: The Criminalization of Poverty in America."