Largest One-Time Release Of Federal Prisoners Begins

05:04

October 30, 2015

A prison cell is seen through the door window following a tour of the cell block at El Reno Federal Correctional Institution in El Reno, Oklahoma. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

The largest one-time release of American prisoners begins today. More than 6,000 people who have been serving time in federal prison for drug offenses, and who have had their sentences reduced under new guidelines, will get out over the next few days.

Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti talks with Andrew Cohen of The Marshall Project, which covers criminal justice, about who's being released, where they're going and what impact this will have on the notoriously-overcrowded federal prison system.

Guest

Andrew Cohen, commentary editor for The Marshall Project. He tweets @JustADCohen.

This segment aired on October 30, 2015.