What Hillary Clinton says about Baltimore violence

In a speech Wednesday, Hillary Clinton will call for body cameras on police and changes to the criminal justice system, including an end to 'mass incarceration,' says an aide. 

Hillary Rodham Clinton says a wave of unrest in Baltimore shows the need to "restore order and security" and she plans to outline steps to reform the criminal justice system, including the addition of body cameras to every police department in the country.

In her first major policy address as a presidential candidate, the former secretary of state later Wednesday was addressing the violence set off in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who suffered a spinal-cord injury while in police custody.

Previewing her speech, a Clinton aide said she would lay out policy proposals to end an era of mass incarceration during a speech at New York's Columbia University. She is expected to discuss reforms to probation and drug diversions, increasing support for mental health and drug treatment and pursuing alternative punishments for low-level offenders, including young people.

Clinton also plans to call for the use of body cameras for every police department in the country to help rebuild trust and fight crime. The aide wasn't authorized to speak by name and requested anonymity.

Clinton said Tuesday night during a New York fundraiser that Gray's death and the aftermath were "heartbreaking," pointing to injuries to police officers and the burning of homes and small businesses.

"We have to restore order and security. But then we have to take a hard look as to what we need to do to reform our system," she said.

In her remarks at Columbia, Clinton is also expected to discuss the unfairness of black men being more likely to be stopped and searched by police officers, charged with crimes and sentenced to longer prison terms.

Clinton is scheduled to speak at the David N. Dinkins Leadership and Public Policy Forum, named after the former New York mayor.