Obama on Criminal Justice Reform & Trip to Oklahoma Prison

[K'Toska]

Recently Obama came to a federal correctional institute in El Reno, Oklahoma. It is home to quite a few nonviolent drug offenders so he spoke with some inmates and looked at the conditions. You can find an article about the trip here.

There is also a video here with excerpts of a speech he gave and what his proposals are. I've had my disagreements with some of his policies in the past though I did vote for him in '08, but I think he is spot on about these issues. What do you guys think?

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I agree that the system needs to be overhauled. Particularly for nonviolent offenders, and teens (link contains NSFW videos, but is a chilling, important read for anyone considering the issue of prison reform). I applaud Obama bringing light to the issue and trying to begin the process of changing the system.

 

[K'Toska]

Thanks for the link! The video and article were both compelling. We treat our inmates worse than we treat our pets, and then we wonder why they have such problems when they try to reintegrate into society. On top of that, when they do get out, they are not given the same rights as a citizen. They do their time and yet, the punishment continues. They can't get a decent job, and they can't even use their own personal experiences to vote for representatives who would save others from the same fate. It is disgusting.

"You can judge a society by how well it treats its prisoners." - Dostoevskij
Based on that statement, our society is completely flawed, violent, and falling apart. The sooner people realize this, the sooner we can fix it. By the way, are you familiar with the SAFE Justice Act of 2015?