If we release more prisoners, will there be more crime?

• Position: DATA - Brief article

In November, more than 6,000 federal prisoners were released following changes to drug sentencing guidelines by the United States Sentencing Commission.

Congress is now weighing broader federal sentencing reform legislation. Some law enforcement groups have come out against it, claiming reform would lead to a spike in violent crime.

"These reforms are reversing 20 years of crime reductions and endanger the American public."

The National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys

But several states have already enacted various types of sentencing reform legislation aimed at reducing the number of nonviolent inmates in prison.

Over the past five years, the states that saw the largest reductions in prison populations also saw reductions in violent crime rates.

While the relationship between incarceration and violent crime is not clear- cut, evidence suggests that reducing...