Holder Scales Back Use Of Harsh Drug Sentences
Attorney General Eric Holder says low-level, nonviolent drug offenders who have no link with gangs or organized crime will no longer be charged with crimes that impose harsh mandatory minimum sentences.The U.S. prison population has increased by about one-third since the 1980s, when legislation was passed to get tough on the use of marijuana and crack cocaine.
Holder also announced that older, non-violent inmates will be released if it’s determined they pose no threat to the public.
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Kentucky Among States Already Reducing Drug Sentences
Kentucky is one of a growing number of states that have directed money away from prison construction and toward treatment programs for low level, nonviolent drug offenders.Kentucky legislation has reserved prison for the most serious offenders.
The state is projected to save $400 million dollars over the next 10 years by focusing on drug treatment and community supervision programs for drug offenders.
Kentucky’s secretary of justice and public safety, J. Michael Brown, joins us to explain what the state is doing.
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