Obama Visits Prison to Call for a Fairer Justice System

Peering from the back seat of his armored black limousine, President Barack Obama rode into a razor wire-surrounded federal prison Thursday and said he met young inmates "who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made." Obama came to the medium-security El Reno Federal Correctional Institution near Oklahoma City to press his case that the nation needs to reconsider the way crime is controlled and prisoners are rehabilitated. The president met with inmates and walked past rows of empty cells secured by large grey doors. Prison officials opened cell no. 123 for Obama and he gazed at its sparse trappings: a double bunk bed and third bed along the wall, a toilet and sink, along with a small bookcase and three lockers.