The President:
Hi, everybody.
Thirty years ago, there
were 500,000 people
behind bars in America.
Today, there are
2.2 million.
The United States is home to
5 percent of the world's
population, but 25 percent
of the world's prisoners.
Every year, we spend $80
billion to keep people
locked up.
Now, many of the folks in
prison absolutely belong
there - our streets are
safer thanks to the brave
police officers and
dedicated prosecutors who
put violent criminals
behind bars.
But over the last few
decades, we've also locked
up more non-violent
offenders than ever before,
for longer than ever before.
That's the real reason our
prison population is so high.
Ever since I was a Senator,
I've talked about how, in
too many cases, our criminal
justice system is a pipeline
from underfunded schools to
overcrowded jails.
And we've taken steps to
address it.
We invested in our schools
to give at-risk young people
a better shot to succeed.
I signed a bill reducing the
100 to 1 sentencing
disparity between crack and
powder cocaine.
I've commuted the sentences
of dozens of people
sentenced under old drug laws we
now recognize were unfair.
The Department of Justice
has gotten "Smart on Crime,"
refocusing efforts on the
worst offenders, and
pursuing mandatory minimum
sentences less frequently.
Still, much of our criminal
justice system remains
unfair.
In recent years, more of our
eyes have been opened to
this truth.
We can't close them anymore.
And good people, of all
political persuasions, are
eager to do something about
it.
Over the next few weeks,
I'll travel the country to
highlight some of the
Americans who are doing
their part to fix our
criminal justice system.
I'll visit a community
battling prescription drug
and heroin abuse.
I'll speak with leaders from
law enforcement who are
determined to lower the
crime rate and the
incarceration rate, and with
police chiefs who have
dedicated their careers to
keeping our streets and
officers safe.
I'll meet with former
prisoners who are earning
their second chance.
And I'll keep working with
lawmakers from both parties
who are determined to get
criminal justice reform
bills to my desk.
Earlier this month,
Democrats and Republicans
came together in the Senate
to introduce such a bill -
one that would reduce
mandatory minimums for
non-violent drug offenders,
and reward prisoners with
shorter sentences if they
complete programs that make
them less likely to commit a
repeat offense.
There's a similar bill
working its way through the
House, and I'm encouraged by
these kinds of bipartisan
efforts.
This is progress - not
liberal ideas or
conservative ideas, but
common-sense solutions to
the challenges we face.
From the halls of Congress to
the classrooms in our
schools, we pledge
allegiance to one nation
under God with liberty, and
justice, for all.
Justice means that every
child deserves a chance to
grow up safe and secure,
without the threat of
violence.
Justice means that the
punishment should fit the
crime.
And justice means allowing
our fellow Americans who
have made mistakes to pay
their debt to society, and
re-join their community as
active, rehabilitated
citizens.
Justice has never been easy
to achieve, but it's always
been worth fighting for.
And it's something I'll keep
fighting for as long as I
serve as your president.
Thanks, and have a great
weekend.
