Our courts and prisons are overrun with non-violent, low-level drug cases, a course of action that is ineffective, unfair and unsustainable.  According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, over 83,000 federal prisoners — or 46.4 percent of all inmates — are serving time for drug-related offenses, up from less than 5,000 thirty-five years ago.  The U.S. federal prison system now consumes $7.3 billion a year, which translates to around 25 percent of the U.S. Justice Department's entire budget.  

 

 

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Evidence:

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United States.  Federal Bureau of Prisons.  "Offenses."

University at Albany.  Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics 2003.  Table 6.57.

United States.  Department of Justice.  Bureau of Prisons.  "FY 2017 Budget Request At A Glance." 

United States.  Department of Justice.  "FY 2017 Budget Request At A Glance."

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