Obama is the first American president to visit prison

US President Barack Obama visited the prison, thus becoming the first current US president to visit a federal correctional institution. During a visit to a prison in the town of El Reno in Oklahoma, Obama spoke first with her staff, and then with prisoners serving sentences, mainly for drug trafficking.

The prison had "unique security measures" in place for Obama's arrival, and Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary spoke of the "comprehensive vetting" that all inmates at the El Reno facility were subjected to.

Obama talked to them a bit, examining one of the chambers, and said that we should continue easing the sentences for the least serious crimes as part of the reform of the criminal law system.

He said a distinction needs to be made between "the mistakes people sometimes make when they're young" and deliberate criminal acts. The President also suggested thinking about how to improve rehabilitation programs for criminals who have served their sentences.

Earlier this week, Obama pardoned 46 prisoners, saying that at one time they were convicted on the basis of laws that have become much softer in recent years. Speaking with a special video message to the Americans, he noted that if the trial of these people took place today, they would have been able to be released long ago.