It is a poorly kept secret that our prison system needs massive reform – this is something that I’ve known about vaguely since I was fifteen or so. I did not know, however, the extent to which prison reform could be actively opposed. I thought it was a no-brainer! Our prisons are overcrowded and inadequate – this must be addressed. The conditions that Morris and Rothman describe, namely the unsanitary facilities and overcrowded compounds, are absolutely dreadful. I hadn’t realized how complex the politics of imprisonment really are. The competing interests, between the state and federal governments, plus their comprising departments, make navigating prison reform a nightmare, as illustrated by the Prison Fix reading. To me, being “tough on crime,” is a poor and superficial way to win political points. Often this means racial profiling and jail time for minor offenses, like drug possession. This is applicable not just to California, which the reading is about, but to the US as a whole. Our prisons wouldn’t be packed to the gills if we didn’t jail activists and drug users.