This idea has led to millions of individuals being sentenced to long periods of time for crimes that do not necessarily warrant long annual sentences. I believe the only way to reduce our incarceration rates is to stop taking the easy way out. It's much easier to lock people up than to rehabilitate them. Rehabilitation should always be a first response to minor nonviolent crimes; obviously for more serious crimes such as murder more serious penalties should be applied. For example, drug arrests make up a large portion of the prison population. This is not necessary, yes, some drug arrests, such as one involving a drug dealer who sold drugs to another individual who later died from the drugs, is a crime that deserves serious punishment. However, for less serious drug-related crimes, such as possession, people should be offered a rehabilitation program such as rehab or probation. A simple drug possession charge should not constitute a mandatory prison sentence. The United States needs to stop sending people to prison and start offering rehabilitation options. Overall, I believe this would ultimately reduce recidivism and incarceration