IMO the biggest problem with American penal system is how crazy the punishments are for non-violent crimes. Get caught smoking crack a few times? You might be i

IMO the biggest problem with American penal system is how crazy the punishments are for non-violent crimes. Get caught smoking crack a few times? You might be in prison for many years. Another issue is how the government + private industry is allowed to punish you for life even though you've supposedly "done your time". Employers can and regularly do discriminate even for things that would have no affect on job performance. Oh also housing and loans. You're basically pushed to the fringes of society unless you manage to make it big with your own business. Oh and if you commit a drug crime you're cut off from school financial aid for life. And if you have any felony the army probably won't even take you. Have fun trying to turn your life around when your own government slams the door. I'm okay with long prison sentences for really nasty stuff like murder. Not such a big deal if an ex-con steals some shit again, pretty bad if he goes back to killing people.