“If change starts at the top, then “Fixing the System” picked a good starting point.

The hour-long documentary, produced by VICE on HBO, gives viwers an inside look at the criminal justice system and the costly failure of the war on drugs — and it also offers a hint of hope for change.

One of the most widely touted parts of the film is VICE’s exclusive filming of Obama’s sit-down with six inmates during his historic July visit to a federal prison.

“I did a lot of stupid stuff when I was young,” the President said to inmates, “but I was just in an environment where you could afford to make some mistakes. I had more of a margin of error than a lot of kids do, particularly if they’re in a low-income community that is surrounded by a lot of drug activity.””

“Conjure up the image that comes to mind when you hear the term “incarcerated drug offender.”

Whatever you think, this special episode of the HBO series VICE will most certainly expand your view and humanize those behind bars.

Fixing the System can sometimes feel like a term paper that tries to cover too many topics; it easily could have been a three- or four-part special. But it is extraordinarily thought-provoking. After you’ve watched, you may feel compelled to speak out about the problem and try to become part of the solution.”