Obama Tours El Reno Federal Prison, Speaks To Inmates, Officials

President Barack Obama visited the Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Thursday morning and spoke with prison officials and several non-violent offenders.

7/16/2015 Related Story: President Obama Visits Federal Correctional Institution In El Reno

According to the White House, Obama spoke to six non-violent drug offenders at the federal prison and gazed into a 9-foot by 10-foot cell. He said excellent work was being done at this medium-security prison with job training, college courses and drug counseling, but he noted this facility, like many other prisons, is overcrowded.

Obama said mandatory minimum prison sentences were a "huge driver" of increases in prison populations across the country. He also said society must reconsider what can be done to help young people and give them opportunities that could prevent them from getting caught up in drug crimes, according to White House officials.

Obama said he did not "have tolerance for violent criminals," but that there should be a reconsideration of whether non-violent drug offenders should end up with lengthy sentences of 20 years or more.

The President looked inside cell No. 123. All inmates have been removed from the cell block, which was clean, had skylights, telephones and showers. Each cell had a toilet and had beds made up for two inmates.

According to the White House, the President said that the nation's burgeoning prison population is a costly financial drain for the country. He said he was hopeful that Democrats and Republicans could agree on supporting criminal justice reform.

While visiting the El Reno prison, Obama said young people around the world are known for sometimes making poor decisions, but that this country ends up incarcerating a disproportionate number of these young people, "particularly people of color." 

The President repeated his concerns over the dangerous conditions in prison, including gang activity and sexual assault.

The President left the prison and boarded Air Force One just before 1:30 p.m. at Tinker Air Force Base, to go back to Washington D.C.