Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) favors work over prison for people who have committed minor crimes. During an appearance, last Friday, on HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, Paul said that it doesn’t benefit the country economically to have people serve lengthy prison sentences for minor crimes.

Paul said, “I think it’s a fiscally conservative thing to want less people in prison, particularly non-violent people, because it’s extraordinarily expensive.”

The senator argued that the best way to deal with the problem is to decrease the lengthy sentences from 10 years to six months to one year and to provide job training for those who have committed minor crimes so that they will be able to find employment upon their release.

Paul told Maher, “And so I think it’s frankly a fiscally conservative, but it’s also the compassionate thing. I think kids make mistakes. I made mistakes and I know you Bill made a lot of mistakes, you deserve a second chance.”

Paul also stated that he believes those who have been caught in the “War on Drugs” should be given another chance.

He said that the “War on Drugs” has been racialized and has resulted in more minorities and poor people being placed in prison.

Paul said, “Our prisons are full of black and brown kids. Three-fourths of the people in prison are black or brown and white kids are using drugs, Bill as you know, are using drugs-are using drugs at the same rate as these other kids… So I want to end the war on drugs because it’s wrong for everybody. But particularly because poor people are caught up in this and their lives are ruin by it.”