For the first time ever, a sitting President of the United States not only visited a federal prison — he also expressed empathy for the plight of prisoners, and called for reforms of the way society treats non-violent drug offenders.

“When they describe their youth and their childhood, these are young people who made mistakes that aren’t that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made,” President Obama told reporters. “The difference is they did not have the kinds of support structures, the second chances, the resources that would allow them to survive those mistakes.”

Video via The White House.

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