Mr. Governor, there are many ways to reduce the current problem of prison overcrowding; unfortunately many of them are not popular because they are considered soft on crime and as we both know they are frowned upon. Some options would provide temporary decongestion of prisons while others would lead to a more long-term reduction in the prison population. After looking at them, I think there are a few that we could do and still be an acceptable character to the audience. These few include overhauling mandatory sentencing laws, educational opportunities, earning time off credits, parole release of elderly inmates, foreign national employment, and incentives for post-prison employment. Traditionally judges were allowed to weigh the facts of a case when determining sentencing, but since the passage of mandatory sentencing laws judges no longer have any discretion in these matters. It was believed that mandatory sentencing would capture the top tier of those involved in drug trafficking and discourage others from starting to participate. Unfortunately, it mostly affects lower-level individuals and has not deterred people from using or selling drugs, leaving judges trapped in imposing penalties that many of them have come to resent. These penalties are stiff, mandated by Congress, and are tied to the type and weight of the drug, and if a firearm (legal or otherwise) was present, most entry-level sentences range from five to ten years. Another problem with mandatory sentencing is that there are only two ways to reduce or avoid it. The first is to implement another person or provide “substantial assistance” to the government in some way. The second way is a safety valve that has such a... middle of paper...: mass incarceration of the elderly. (2012, June). American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved from https://www.aclu.org/files/assets/elderlyprisonreport_20120613_1.pdfFAMM. (1997). Mandatory sentencing was once the panacea of ​​American law and order. that's why it doesn't work. Families Against Mandatory Minimums, Retrieved from http://www.prisonpolicy.org/scans/famm/Primer.pdfDavis, L.M., Bozick, R., Steele, J.L., Saunders, J., & Miles, J.N.V. (2013). Evaluating the effectiveness of correctional education a meta-analysis of programs providing education to incarcerated adults. In JNV Miles (ed.), Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR200/RR266/RAND_RR266.pdfPetrella, C. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nationofchange.org/10-ways-reduce-our-out-control-prison-population-1348927431