"The Obama administration has the perfect opportunity to move forward on prison reform," writes Craig Welkener of the Justice Fellowship on AOL News. "Economic pressures are making over-criminalization fiscally unfeasible, and research-driven solutions are available. Moral issues like prison rape are crystal clear. President Obama can credibly use the bully pulpit to point out what the American criminal justice system must learn: Compassion is not the enemy of public safety."

"The rest of the world is starting to notice the United States' incarceration follies," states sydnicated columnist Neal Peirce.

"Case in point: 'Why America locks up so many people,' the recent cover story of the Economist magazine, showing the face of a forlorn Statue of Liberty behind bars.

"The grim statistics noted: Some 2.3 million people, more than the population of 15 of our states, are now incarcerated -- one in 100 adults. That's quadruple our 1970 imprisonment rate. For hard-to-defend reasons, and at staggering fiscal cost, we incarcerate people at a rate five times Great Britain's, nine times Germany's, 12 times Japan's."

Virginia: Governor on Right Track
New York: Newly Eligible Voters Now Have Right to Registration Forms, Information
Minnesota:  Only One Way Around Voter Fraud
Tennessee: “Warning:” Know the Rules Before Voting

The House of Representatives today passed legislation that would establish a national commission to conduct a thorough evaluation of the nation's justice system and offer recommendations for reform in a range of areas, including sentencing policy, rates of incarceration, law enforcement, crime prevention, substance abuse, corrections and reentry.

International: Kenyan prisoners to vote in August; Disenfranchisement Across Borders
Oklahoma: Good Behavior + Credits + Release = Continued Disenfranchisement