Two incredibly controversial issues in the United States at the moment, college tuition and the justice system, may see some changes in the coming months. The Obama administration recently expressed an interest in reducing jail time for federal prisoners on drug offenses and spending some of the money budgeted for jails and prisons on education. This would be achieved by incarcerating fewer people arrested of non-violent crimes and is estimated to save $15 billion a year. A majority of inmates have a similar background being young, uneducated, and raised in a poorer neighborhood. Teens will often be sent to prison for minor infractions such as being in possession of marijuana. This policy has led to the US having the highest incarceration rate in the world at around 700 inmates per 100,000 citizens. The world average is around 100/100,000 with North Korea having a number estimated similar to the USA. Countries with better access to education such as Norway, Sweden, Germany, and others see incarceration rates significantly below average. Imprisonment, a majority of the time, has been shown to create or intensify mental health conditions rather than rehabilitating the inmate. A push to only imprison dangerous criminals and put the money into education would be a smart move on the part of the American government as we would see a decrease in mindless crimes and a more educated population. A lower price would cause children living in relative poverty to believe in a better future rather than feeling trapped in their socio-economic class.