Minimum Punishment for the low level drug offenders in federal prison citing Human and moral costs

of incarceration Author David Martosko and Associated Press Reporter (Daily Mail) This article is related to the policy planning introduced by the US Attorney General regarding the scaling back of the harshest punishment for the low level drug offenders to reduce the overcrowding of the federal prison. Eric Holder, 82nd Attorney General of the United States of America plans to announce major drug policy change on the remarks prepared for delivery to the American Bar Association in San Francisco, which will scale back harshest punishment for the drug offenders. This plan shall diminish the impact of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Law that was passed in 1980s War on Drugs in USA. The main reason for this new policy according to Mr. Holder is to reduce the overcrowded federal prisons population .The federal prison has become overcrowded by forty percent with more than 219,000 inmates. Mr. Holder has also made plans for reducing the prison crowd by resourcing people convicted of low level offenses to drug treatment and community service programs. The elderly non- violent offenders shall be released too in furtherance of the plan. In his opinion, Americans in a great number go to prison for far too long and for no good law enforcement reason. According to him, prison system has to play a major role in the judicial and justice system, but all purporting prolonged prison at the various levels of state hierarchy is both ineffective and unsustainable. He pointed out the various ill effects such unwholesome system is causing to the country. In economic perspective, the system is causing around eighty billion dollar economic burden in 2010. This system also causes human and moral deficiencies which may affect the convicts in an incalculable way. Govt.s War on Drug is a phenomenon which took place in 1980s, which Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Law is, a part of; limits the discretions of the judges to impose shorter prison sentences. The laws made for violent criminals or drug kingpins with excessive prison terms shall not be imposed on the lesser criminals arrested for their individual conduct and shall be charged with offenses accordingly. Some changes has already been made at the state and local level for which Mr. Holder has praised the enforcement officials for instituting some of the types of changes which must be made at the federal level. As Mr. Holder opined, adequate enforcement of federal criminal law is necessary but rigorous and long prison punishment, consequently over crowding the federal prisons is not the path to be followed for acquiring safety. He described how a vicious circle of poverty, criminality and prison sentences has entangled a large number of American people. The criminal justice system currently prevalent is adding to the woes of these people rather than diminishing them. He acknowledged the fact that, the main function of immurement is to use it as a deterring factor whose ultimate aim is to rehabilitate the convicts, not to ignore them after conviction. Along with these opinions he suggested some rehabilitation techniques for the lesser criminals involved in drug abuse.