This is one of those things that I rant about IRL (in real life) quite frequently. I believe strongly that in the United States we should reduce the amount of things we call crime (drug use as an example) while simultaneously making the penalties for actual crimes much stiffer and prisons much more clinical and severe. I believe that the result of such a policy will make prison much more of a deterrent. I also believe that that if you can't trust someone to have all the same rights as any other citizen then it is sheer lunacy to allow them out of prison.

So again. Decriminalize certain things, increase the penalty for the actions that are still considered illegal, and make our prisons more severe and clinical.