1、CRS INSIGHTIs This the First Step in Undoing Mass Incarceration? 6,000 Federal Drug Offenders Set to be ReleasedOctober 22, 2015 (IN10380) | Related AuthorsNathan JamesBrian T. Yeh |Nathan James, Analyst in Crime Policy (njamescrs.loc.gov, 7-0264)Brian T. Yeh, Legislative Attorney (byehcrs.loc.gov,
2、7-5182)In early November, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) is scheduled to release approximately 6,000 federal inmates convicted of drug trafficking offenses. While some have cheered the releases as a sign of efforts to right size drug sentences or reduce mass incarceration, others are concerned about wh
3、at effect it might have on public safety.Why Are These Inmates to be Released Early?In April 2014, the U.S. Sentencing Commission (Commission) submitted to Congress proposed amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Guidelines) that would reduce by two levels the base offense levels assigned
4、to drug offenses, thereby lowering the Guideline ranges for most federal drug trafficking offenses. In July 2014, the Commission voted to apply the amendment retroactively (with the condition that no prisoners who receive reduced drug sentences may be released before November 1, 2015). The amendment
