U.S. Federal Prison Population Drops First Time Since 1980

The federal prison population has dropped by approximately 4, 800 last year, said Attorney General Eric Holder, Tuesday.This is the first time since 1980 that the federal prison population has declined.

The Bureau of Prisons anticipates a drop of more than 2,000 inmates in the next year, and almost 10,000 in the year after.

"This is nothing less than historic," Holder said at a conference at the New York University School of Law that was hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice. "To put these numbers in perspective, 10,000 inmates is the rough equivalent of the combined populations of six federal prisons, each filled to capacity," he said, reports the Associated Press.

Holder said that he was looking ahead to end the current budget year next week with a population of approximately 215,000 inmates.

He said that the crime rate also had come down along with the drop in prison populations.

"Statistics have shown - and all of us have seen - that high incarceration rates and longer-than-necessary prison terms have not played a significant role in materially improving public safety, reducing crime or strengthening communities," Holder said, reports The Washington Post.

The present decline in the prison population is attributed to the major reforms undertaken by Holder.

 In mid 2013, Holder had directed federal prosecutors to stop giving heavy prison sentences to first time offenders or people with minor drug offences. The reforms also allowed the early release of some low risk prisoners.

The Justice Department recently encouraged a large number of inmates to apply for clemency. It also favored reducing sentencing guideline ranges for drug criminals.

"We know that over-incarceration crushes opportunity. We know it prevents people, and entire communities, from getting on the right track," Holder said, reports AP.