Bill Clinton admitted that the prison population explosion across the United States was due to the policies approved under his presidential administration.
The omnibus crime bill signed into law by Clinton in 1994 included the so-called "three strikes provision, which meted life imprisonment for criminals convicted of a hard felony after two previous convictions especially drug-related crimes," according to Reuters.
Clinton told CNN in an interview that the law had cast too wide a net and had put too many people in prison, but the government budget to support them and even train them to be better citizens is not enough for every state.
The problem of incarceration in the country was brought up in light of the Baltimore riots because a young African-American was killed while being held in police custody.
Clinton pointed out that the problem with the omnibus crime law is how it is being implemented and its vast clout.
Data from the United States Bureau of Justice indicated state and federal correctional facilities held an estimated 1.574 million prisoners as of December 31, 2013 - a spike of about 4,300 prisoners compared to the same period in 2012.
Clinton's wife, Hillary, who at the time the legislation was approved was the country's first lady, has now clarified that there is a need to overhaul the legal system. Hillary Clinton, who stated her bid for the presidential election, is now pushing for criminal justice reform, emphasizing that the system focuses too much on incarceration.
