US PRISON SYSTEM FAILING

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The number of people in U.S. prisons has risen eight-fold since 1970, with little impact on crime but at great cost to taxpayers and society, researchers said in a report calling for a major justice-system overhaul. report on Monday cites examples ranging from former vice-presidential aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby to a Florida woman's two-year sentence for throwing a cup of coffee to make its case for reducing the U.S. prison population of 2.2 million -- nearly one-fourth of the world's total.

It recommends shorter sentences and parole terms, alternative punishments, more help for released inmates and decriminalizing recreational drugs. It said the steps would cut the prison population in half, save $20 billion a year and ease social inequality without endangering the public.

But the recommendations run counter to decades of broad U.S. public and political support for getting tough on criminals through longer, harsher prison terms and to the Bush administration's anti-drug and strict-sentencing policies.

"President (George W.) Bush was right," in commuting Libby's perjury sentence this year as excessive, the report said. But he should also have commuted the sentences of hundreds of thousands of other Americans, it said.
The government always gets what they want, now it's time we get something long awaited for.

Let's hope these people knock some sense into these airheads in office

We can have a more immediate effect if we just register to vote and make sure we're signed up on for jury trial. It will take decades for there to be any meaningful legislation for drug users. Just get on a jury and if its a personal use drug case you have the legal right to say not guilty. Its that simple and you have just had a positive impact on the system. You kept a non criminal out of prison and saved the taxpayers a ton of money.

Sometimes I think that the prison system is like sweeping dirt under the rug,I believe Violent Criminals should be in there and even sexual predators,but stuff like smoking weed and other small things,they shouldnt be letting out repeat sex offenders to make room for say people who download music/movies.