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In 2014, the cost to keep a  prisoner for a year in New York was $70,000

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http://fairsentencingofyouth.org/the-issue/crime-and-safety/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2014/12/05/yes-the-american-justice-system-is-broken/?utm_term=.1627d2692b9c

http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/federal_judge_reveal_shocking_truth_broken_criminal_justice_system_20150729

http://www.businessinsider.com/americas-prison-system-broken-criminal-justice-jail-2015-9

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Instead of spending billions of tax dollars each year to keep our citizens in jails and prisons, the money should go toward the rehabilitation of those unfortunate enough to get caught up in a crime. This would be a much better investment for the government than to incarcerate every poor teenager or working mother because the possible return on investment is a society where we can reform our criminals so they can live the American Dream and contribute to our society.

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Shanesha Taylor, a homeless, single mother of two was recently arrested and charged with child abuse after she left her children in a car for just over an hour so she could attend a job interview. She was immediately taken to jail, where she would stay for over a week awaiting her trial, and her children were placed in the custody of Child Protective Services. While it may not have been the most responsible thing to leave her children in the car, it is clear to see that she was only acting in their best interest by trying to get a job to support her family. Instead of helping the struggling woman and her family when she needed it most, the justice system once again failed to show any empathy, and hurt Taylor and her family even more by charging her with a felony and throwing her in jail

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Robert H Richard IV, unemployed heir to the DuPont family fortune plead guilty to a serious abuse charge against his 3 year old daughter in 2009. He was given no jail time and was only sentenced to probation because the judge felt that he "would not fare well in a prison environment" because he was a one percenter.

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In a society were we are taught to always lend a helping hand to those in need, why do we continue to turn those less fortunate citizens away? Why do we continuously deny them the chance for redemption?  Why do we turn our backs on our neighbors who need help the most?
As a country looking to progress and raise the standard of living, our number one focus should be on helping the poor and unfortunate because we as a nation will only ever be as strong as our weakest link

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You can go to prison longer for a nonviolent drug offense longer than you would for assaulting a cop.

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When rich people get addicted to drugs they go to rehab.

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When poor people get addicted to drugs they go to prison.

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The justice system goes after the people with less money causing them to be forever labeled.

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We are sending the wrong people to prisons instead of sending them to rehab.

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How Our Criminal Justice System Targets Communities

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The goal of our legal system should be to keep people out of prison, not continue to throw them in.  Putting people in jail ruins their life and it cost too much money to keep them there.

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Formalism is the analysis of something such as a piece of text, or court case without taking into account any outside information.

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The principle that all people and institutions are subject to and accountable to law that is fairly applied and enforced.

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(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama said in his weekly address released Saturday that much of the American criminal justice system is unfair and that what he called "underfunded schools" in the United States are a conduit to overcrowded prisons.

"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," Obama said. "And we've taken steps to address it."

"Still," Obama went on to say, "much of our criminal justice system remains unfair."

Here is the complete text of the president's weekly address:

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.

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Obama: 'Much of Our Criminal Justice System Remains Unfair'

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(CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama said in his weekly address released Saturday that much of the American criminal justice system is unfair and that what he called "underfunded schools" in the United States are a conduit to overcrowded prisons.