Hillary Clinton backs probes of chokehold, Ferguson deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said today the nation's criminal-justice system is "out of balance" and she supports federal reviews of police-involved deaths of black men in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City.

Clinton said the two cases, which have stirred a national conversation on race and law enforcement, show the need for federal funds to be used for best practices, "rather than weapons of war."

The former secretary of state said the families and communities deserved a "full and fair accounting" and the deaths had forced the nation to "grapple with some hard truths about race and justice in America." She noted that black men are more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes and sentenced to longer prison terms.

"We have allowed our criminal-justice system to get out of balance," Clinton said. "And I personally hope that these tragedies give us the opportunity to come together as a nation to find our balance again."