Baker Institute expert available to discuss release of 6,000 inmates from federal prison

EXPERT ALERT

David Ruth
713-348-6327
david@rice.edu

Baker Institute expert available to discuss release of 6,000 inmates from federal prison
Neill: More releases of nonviolent drug offenders can be expected

HOUSTON – (Oct. 8, 2015) – The Justice Department announced this week that it will release about 6,000 inmates from federal prison between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2. The release is the result of changes in federal drug-sentencing policies for low-level drug offenders made by the U.S. Sentencing Commission in April 2014. Katharine Neill, a drug policy expert at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, is available to discuss the department’s move and how it fits in with national drug-policy developments.

“Low-level, nonviolent drug offenders are not released from prison automatically,” said Neill, the Baker Institute’s Alfred C. Glassell III Postdoctoral Fellow in Drug Policy. “Because 6,000 inmates will be freed all at once, it may seem as if drug offenders are being ushered out of the prison gates. This is not the case. Inmates must petition a judge to reduce their sentences under the new guidelines. The judges are not required to do so and are expected to consider the potential threat to public safety of each individual. The 6,000 prisoners who will be released at the end of the month have all had their releases approved by federal judges.”

Neill said more releases of nonviolent drug offenders can be expected. It is estimated that roughly 46,000 of the approximately 100,000 inmates being held in federal prison for drug convictions are eligible for early release, she said.

“There is concern among law enforcement officials about the effect of the releases on community safety,” Neill said. “Because newly freed inmates may have trouble finding work, some worry that they will return to crime. It is true that individuals with felony convictions have greater difficulty finding employment post-release, especially if they did not receive any job training skills while incarcerated, which many inmates do not. One way to address this is through increasing job-training programs available to inmates still serving time and working with employers to provide placement for these individuals upon release.”

Another avenue is through “Ban the Box” initiatives, which have been enacted by several states and which Congress is considering with the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2015, Neill said. Under the proposed bill, federal agencies and contractors would not be allowed to ask about a person’s criminal background until they offer the candidate a conditional position of employment.

To interview Neill, contact David Ruth, director of national and broadcast media at Rice, at david@rice.edu or 713-348-6327.

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Follow the Baker Institute Drug Policy Program via Twitter @BakerDrugPolicy.

Follow Rice News and Media Relations via Twitter @RiceUNews.

Related materials:

Neill biography: http://bakerinstitute.org/experts/katharine-neill.

Baker Institute Drug Policy Program: http://bakerinstitute.org/drug-policy-program.

Image courtesy: ThinkStockPhotos.com/Rice University

Founded in 1993, Rice University’s Baker Institute ranks among the top 10 university-affiliated think tanks in the world. As a premier nonpartisan think tank, the institute conducts research on domestic and foreign policy issues with the goal of bridging the gap between the theory and practice of public policy. The institute’s strong track record of achievement reflects the work of its endowed fellows, Rice University faculty scholars and staff, coupled with its outreach to the Rice student body through fellow-taught classes — including a public policy course — and student leadership and internship programs. Learn more about the institute at www.bakerinstitute.org or on the institute’s blog, http://blogs.chron.com/bakerblog.