Barack Obama

“ 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. ”

“ 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. ”

“ 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% of the world’s population, but 25% of the world’s prisoners. Every year, we spend $80-billion to keep people locked up. ”