Justice Department Will Release About 6,000 Inmates From Prison Early

With around 2.2 million people behind bars, the US leads the world in imprisonment.

This is precisely why it's huge news The Washington Post just reported the Justice Department will release around 6,000 inmates from prison early.

The prisoners are to be released between October 30 and November 2 and will reportedly go to halfway houses and home confinement until being placed under supervised release.

As the Post notes, this is the largest ever one-time release of prisoners.

It also marks a significant shift in America's approach to criminal justice as it's centered around efforts to reduce overcrowding while helping nonviolent drug offenders who received harsh sentences.

Correspondingly, this comes just days after a bipartisan group of senators introduced a criminal justice reform bill that has been described as a "gamechanger."

While there is still a great deal of work to be done in terms of changing the way the US approaches criminal justice, all of these developments are certainly positive steps forward.

Citations: Justice Department set to free 6000 prisoners largest one time release (The Washington Post), Obama commutes sentences of 46 nonviolent drug offenders (The Washington Post), Senate Introduces Gamechanger Criminal Justice Reform Bill (TIME)