WASHINGTON — More than 200 federal prisoners are being released from custody in the D.C. area as part of a broader nationwide effort to reduce prison overcrowding and make certain penalties less harsh.
The release follows a decision last year by the U.S. Sentencing Commission to reduce sentences for some drug offenders.
Before they qualify for early release, a federal judge must make the decision that the prisoners are not a threat to the public.
According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, about 6,000 prisoners nationwide are being let out between Friday and early next week. That includes 13 prisoners in the District, 95 in Maryland and 163 in Virginia.
Of those 6,000 prisoners, more than 1,700 are not U.S. citizens, and most of them will be deported.