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| Bill Clinton regrets 'three strikes' bill | Bill Clinton regrets 'three strikes' bill |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Former US President Bill Clinton has admitted his "three strikes" crime bill introduced in the 1990s contributed to the problem of overpopulated prisons. | Former US President Bill Clinton has admitted his "three strikes" crime bill introduced in the 1990s contributed to the problem of overpopulated prisons. |
| Speaking to a civil rights group, he said: "I signed a bill that made the problem worse and I want to admit it." | Speaking to a civil rights group, he said: "I signed a bill that made the problem worse and I want to admit it." |
| It put 100,000 more police officers on the streets but locked up "minor actors for way too long", Mr Clinton said. | It put 100,000 more police officers on the streets but locked up "minor actors for way too long", Mr Clinton said. |
| President Barack Obama launched a renewed effort to reform the criminal justice system this week. | President Barack Obama launched a renewed effort to reform the criminal justice system this week. |
| He visited a federal prison in Oklahoma on Thursday, becoming the first sitting president to do so. | |
| Speaking at the El Reno Federal Correctional Institution, Mr Obama said the criminal justice system needs to distinguish between young people who make mistakes and those who are truly dangerous. | |
| Some of the young prisoners he met at the prison had made mistakes not that different from those he made in his youth, Mr Obama said. | |
| On Wednesday, Mr Clinton told the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) convention in Philadelphia that he had faced a "roaring decade of rising crime". | On Wednesday, Mr Clinton told the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) convention in Philadelphia that he had faced a "roaring decade of rising crime". |
| He signed a bill into action in 1994 that included a "three strikes" rule that meant anyone convicted of a serious violent crime who had two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes, was given a life sentence. | He signed a bill into action in 1994 that included a "three strikes" rule that meant anyone convicted of a serious violent crime who had two or more prior convictions, including drug crimes, was given a life sentence. |
| He said the "good news" was that the tough raft of measures in the bill had helped secure "the biggest drop in crime history". | He said the "good news" was that the tough raft of measures in the bill had helped secure "the biggest drop in crime history". |
| "The bad news is we had a lot of people who were essentially locked up who were minor actors for way too long," he added. | "The bad news is we had a lot of people who were essentially locked up who were minor actors for way too long," he added. |
| US prisoners find new struggles after being released | US prisoners find new struggles after being released |
| Earlier this week, President Obama commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders saying their sentences "didn't fit their crimes". | Earlier this week, President Obama commuted the prison sentences of 46 drug offenders saying their sentences "didn't fit their crimes". |
| "Mass incarceration makes our entire country worse off, and we need to do something about it," Mr Obama told the NAACP on Tuesday. | "Mass incarceration makes our entire country worse off, and we need to do something about it," Mr Obama told the NAACP on Tuesday. |
| He has urged Congress to pass a sentencing reform bill by the year's end. | He has urged Congress to pass a sentencing reform bill by the year's end. |
| Mr Clinton's comments come as his wife former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, makes criminal justice reform part of her presidential campaign agenda. | Mr Clinton's comments come as his wife former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, makes criminal justice reform part of her presidential campaign agenda. |
| In April, Mrs Clinton echoed President Obama's comments, saying she would push for an end to the "era of mass incarceration". | In April, Mrs Clinton echoed President Obama's comments, saying she would push for an end to the "era of mass incarceration". |
| The last significant changes to the US criminal justice system came in 2013 when US Attorney General Eric Holder dropped mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders. | The last significant changes to the US criminal justice system came in 2013 when US Attorney General Eric Holder dropped mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders. |
| More than two million people are in prison in the US. A tenth of them are held in federal prisons, while the rest are in privately-run jails. | More than two million people are in prison in the US. A tenth of them are held in federal prisons, while the rest are in privately-run jails. |