3K federal inmates released under criminal justice overhaul
More than 3,100 federal inmates are being released by the Bureau of Prisons as part of a criminal justice overhaul signed into law last year.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen says the inmates will be released Friday from federal prisons and halfway houses across the country.
The overhaul known as the First Step Act gives judges more discretion in sentencing, eases mandatory minimum sentences and encourages inmates to participate in programs aimed at reducing recidivism.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, center, flanked by Hugh Hurwitz, left, the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons, and David Muhlhausen, director of the National Institute of Justice, listen as a reporter asks a question during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Friday, July 19, 2019, on developments in the implementation of the First Step Act. About 2,200 federal inmates will be released by the federal Bureau of Prisons under the criminal justice reform measure signed into law last year by President Donald Trump. (AP PhotoSusan Walsh)
The Justice Department has released a risk and needs assessment tool that's intended to measure a prisoner's likelihood of committing new crimes.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen speaks during a news conference at the Justice Department in Washington, Friday, July 19, 2019, on developments in the implementation of the First Step Act. About 2,200 federal inmates will be released by the federal Bureau of Prisons under the criminal justice reform measure signed into law last year by President Donald Trump. (AP PhotoSusan Walsh)