Mass Incarceration and Our Broken Justice System

Lois Ahrens, Founder of the Real Cost of Prison Project, joins the program to discuss what the current conditions are with our justice system and how we got here.

It's a Bi-Partisan Issue:

“There is an urgent need to address the astronomical growth in the prison population, with its huge costs in dollars and lost human potential… The criminal-justice system is broken, and conservatives must lead the way in fixing it.”

Republican - Past Presidential Candidate, Past Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich

“It’s time to end the era of mass incarceration. We need a true national debate about how to reduce our prison population.”
Democrat - 2016 Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton

“Though only five percent of the world’s population lives in the United States, it is home to 25 percent of the world’s prison population. … Not only does the current overpopulated, underfunded system hurt those incarcerated, it also digs deeper into the pockets of taxpaying Americans.”  
Republican/Libertarian - 2016 Presidential Candidate, Senator Rand Paul

“We believe Congress has a critical role to play in helping to restore trust in the criminal justice system, ensuring that every American is treated equally before the law,” 
Democrats - Reps. Elijah Cummings, John Conyers, Jr., and Bennie Thompson, the ranking Democratic members on three powerful House committees.