In an effort to reform drug policy, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will propose a revision to the way the courts sentence nonviolent drug offenders on Monday, Reuters reported.
At the American Bar Association in San Francisco, Holder will announce his recommended modifications for the Justice Department to enact across the country. He will also provide suggested alterations to local courts on how to decide if cases should be punished with federal charges.
"I have mandated a modification of the Justice Department's charging policies so that certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who have no ties to large-scale organizations, gangs, or cartels, will no longer be charged with offenses that impose draconian mandatory minimum sentences," Holder said according to Reuters, based off of quotations provided by the Justice Department.
Holder will also reportedly address a plan to consider release for "inmates facing extraordinary or compelling circumstances - and who pose no threat to the public."
The prison system has become extremely costly to the government and taxpayers. The Vera Institute of Justice conducted a study in 40 states that estimated incarceration rates at $39 billion alone in 2010, which happened to be $5.4 billion more than what the budgets reflected.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics website is currently under construction and will be updated this summer.
While high prison rates have taken a toll on the economy, it has also contributed to various social issues. As the prison boom started in the 1970s, it tremendously affected lower-skilled, low income men without high school diplomas or college educations and disproportionately affected young African American males.
Holder will most likely be emphasizing the need for bipartisan support in Congress, especially considering the Obama administration's need for it if they want to see any significant changes to pass in session. In Holder's excerpts, his prepared notes suggest the legislation in Congress is "aimed at giving federal judges more discretion in applying mandatory minimums to certain drug offenders."
