Bill Clinton admits he was too tough on crime, supports Hillary changing his policies

Bill Clinton
(Image credit: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

After Hillary Clinton gave a speech last week lamenting America's "era of mass incarceration," critics were quick to point out that the policies she criticized included those implemented by her husband. But now, Bill Clinton has voiced his support for her speech.

In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour Wednesday, Bill said that his tough-on-crime policies cast "too wide a net" and led to too many people being put in prison.

"We wound up... putting so many people in prison that there wasn't enough money left to educate them, train them for new jobs, and increase the chances when they came out that they could live productive lives," Bill Clinton told Amanpour.

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"I strongly support what [Hillary is] doing, and I think any policy that was adopted when I was president, any federal law that contributed to it, needs to be changed," Clinton added.

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Meghan DeMaria

Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.