For the first time in over three decades, the federal prison population has dropped, thanks to a series of sentencing reforms launched by Attorney General Eric Holder last year.
According to figures released by the government, the federal prison population has fallen by a staggering 4,800 inmates since September 2013, marking a historic shift in the nation’s approach to crime.
Attorney General Holder made the announcement in a speech at the Brennan Center for Justice, where he hailed the progress as "nothing less than historic." The Attorney General added that the drop in the federal prison population is a result of a growing national consensus on the need for criminal justice reform.
"Clearly, criminal justice reform is an idea whose time has come," Holder said. "And thanks to a robust and growing national consensus – a consensus driven not by political ideology, but by the promising work that’s underway – we are bringing about a paradigm shift, and witnessing a historic sea change, in the way our nation approaches these issues."
The reforms, which include changes to sentencing guidelines for low-level, nonviolent drug offenses, have also led to a projected drop in the federal prison population of 2,200 inmates in FY15 and 10,000 inmates in FY16, equivalent to six federal prisons.
While the drop in the federal prison population is a significant achievement, it is not the only progress being made in the fight against crime. Incarceration rates have fallen by roughly 10 percent since President Obama took office, and crime rates have fallen by a similarly-sized amount.
Attorney General Holder’s full remarks to the law enforcement conference can be found below.
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