Depopulating the prisons

[Foxaèr]

In a bid to reduce the federal prison population, the U.S. Sentencing Commission set in motion a change of formula to determine the sentencing of low-level, nonviolent federal drug law offenders. The commission voted Thursday to reduce sentencing guidelines for about 70 percent of federal drug trafficking defenders, and should Congress rubberstamp the proposal, the change would go into effect on Nov. 1.

Attorney General Eric Holder praised the commission’s shift. “It is now time for Congress to pick up the baton and advance legislation that would take further steps to reduce our overburdened prison system,” Holder said.

“It represents a milestone in our effort to reshape the criminal justice system’s approach to dealing with drug offenses. This reduction in the federal sentencing guidelines, while modest, sends a strong message about the need to reserve the harshest penalties for the most serious crimes.”

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/u-s-...l-prisons/