“A bipartisan criminal justice overhaul remains stalled in the Senate. But its backers might have found a new argument to break it loose: It would save a significant amount of money.
“The Congressional Budget Office, in a new report, estimated that the legislation reducing mandatory minimum sentences would save the federal government $722 million over 10 years, primarily through reduced costs for housing federal prisoners. Spending on social programs to aid those released would rise $251 million over the same period.”