Memory is very fallible, and if you can't remember the source I'd suggest it's quite possible you're not accurately remembering the information as well. Even in cases where someone's memory is entirely accurate, without a source it's hard to see if we're missing relevant context (for instance, if a certain piece of information was gathered decades earlier). A few years back[1] the ACLU claimed that it's polling found broad support for prison reform and reducing the prison population.

When Obama first came into office, Senator Jim Webb (generally considered a moderate) actually had a plan for a commission to study the criminal justice system in the U.S. in an effort to reform it. It received widespread support, with even a number of Republicans co-sponsoring the bill. The leadership didn't seem particularly interested in it, for whatever reason, and nothing came from it.

[1] https://www.aclu.org/press-releases/91-percent-americans-sup...