Justice Department to Let Loose 6000 Prisoners in Largest One-Time Release

Texas will receive the largest number of inmates who are being freed early from prison in the largest one-time federal prison release, an effort by USA officials to reduce overcrowding and provide relief to drug offenders who received severe sentences, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, on Tuesday declined to comment on the release of the prisoners, but expressed optimism that both parties would continue to support criminal justice changes.

Still, as a former prisoner of the war on drugs, I’m happy to see to know these prisoners are seeing the light of day and could soon be reunited with their families. But ex-prisoners face these difficulties regardless of whether they are released early. “There wasn’t any factor that would suggest that he should not get the reduction and there wasn’t anything that made me think that we might not get this”. What was lost in much of the first wave of reporting about the plan, though, is that thousands of the offenders are already out of prison. The result: a grossly overpopulated prison system that costs almost $80 billion a year – just to keep people behind bars. The Justice Department is certainly aware of this challenge, and it is likely that this concern is part of the reason for delaying the initial release of inmates and allowing greater preparation for monitoring and reentry services. “But we don’t do that”.

“Everyone in here is saying that only a black president would do something like this”, Angel Ocasio, a Bronx native doing time at FCI Danbury for his involvement in a gang that sold drugs and killed people, tells VICE. “On average, federal judges have been issuing about 70 reduced sentences per week, the DOJ estimated”, according to Vice News.

What does this mean?

Still, the broad spectrum of defendants granted early release _ including a few about whom prosecutors not long ago raised dire warnings _ underscores the complex decisions confronting the government as it pursues an overhaul of drug sentencing.

“We have to make sure that when we impose a sentence on someone for a crime, that the sentence is appropriate for that crime”. “That’s an example of disproportionately affecting African Americans and there will be other examples like that”.

Numerous stiff, drug-related mandatory sentences were passed during the 1980s and 90s. The system tilts in a direction that is unjust. There are people in prison whose drug (if you will) violations are basically their addictions. All of these factors are thought to help reduce recidivism.

So where do we go from here? “I’m a law-and-order girl, and I believe that you need to send unsafe people to prison for a very long time”, said Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.