My name is Diane Goldstein and I am a retired Lieutenant Commander from a Police Agency in California. I am a board member for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, a group of current, former and retired criminal justices professionals working to end the failures of our drug laws which has contributed to mass incarceration, not just at the state but especially the Federal level. Currently over 50% of Federal offenders have been convicted for drug offenses as compared to 16% at the state level.

According to Right on Crime Of that fifty percent, 48.6% (52,142 of 107,288) were in the lowest criminal history category according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, having only zero or one criminal history point. With this number of points, such individuals are either first-time offenders, or have previously committed one low-level crime.

Fifty-two thousand, one-hundred and forty-two. Almost a full quarter of the federal prison population, who reside in the lowest possible criminal history category that exists.

This federal legislation would reduce these low-level offenders which cost taxpayers $30K a year to house. This is one small step in addressing the capacity issue in the federal prisons today.