EDGEFIELD, S.C. (AP) – About 2,200 inmates are expected to be released from federal prisons across the U.S. next week. It’s part of a sweeping criminal justice overhaul that was signed into law last year. Attorney General William Barr toured a prison in South Carolina this past week, meeting with inmates and staff to learn about re-entry and other prison programs under the First Step Act.
The Justice Department and federal Bureau of Prisons are working to create risk assessment tools that will help to evaluate inmates and ultimately could speed up their release. Barr said both agencies are “all in in terms of making it work.” Some criminal justice advocates say the Trump administration and Congress need to be more fully committed to implementing the law and ensuring there is appropriate oversight.