"Just about every year, Congress passes another crime bill - spending billions of dollars to build more prisons, to place more band-aids on society's scars"

This quote by Carrie P. Meek is a criticism of the criminal justice system in the United States. She is explaining that Congress is passing criminal offense costs every year, investing billions of dollars to construct more jails and location more band-aids on society's scars. This implies that the federal government is not attending to the root causes of crime, however instead is simply trying to handle the symptoms. She is suggesting that the federal government must be purchasing preventative steps, such as education and job training, to minimize criminal offense and enhance the lives of those impacted by it. This quote is a suggestion that the criminal justice system needs to be reformed in order to develop a more fair and simply society.