'First Step Act' in Senate Holds Hope for Federal Low-Level Offenders

What parent hopes their child will grow up to be a career criminal? What child dreams of one day living behind the bars of one of America’s 102 federal prisons?

Going to prison is a nightmare, not a dream. And it’s become a terrible reality for many.

Today, more than 2.4 million people are confined in American prisons, jails, or juvenile correctional facilities. Nearly 1 million of those are African-Americans. It’s estimated that one of every 20 Americans—including one of every four black males—will be incarcerated in a state or federal prison at some point in their lives.

Not everyone in prison is a hardened criminal. Indeed, many are serving lengthy sentences for nonviolent and relatively low-level offenses, such as a single drug conviction.

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