Small local impact expected from federal prisoner release

The release of about 6,000 federal prisoners announced Tuesday should have minimal impact in the Kansas City area, officials say.

About 100 offenders from the Western District of Missouri, which includes Kansas City, Springfield and St. Joseph, are among those being released early, according to federal prosecutors.

It is not known how many from Kansas will be affected, according to a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Kansas.

A breakdown of offenders from specific areas was not available, an official with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington said Wednesday,

The release, slated for the end of October and early November, involves nonviolent drug offenders.

A decision last summer by the U.S. Sentencing Commission allowed prisoners to seek a sentence reduction for drug-related convictions.

Before the reductions are granted, judges must assess each case for the potential risk to public safety, according to a Justice Department spokeswoman.

If the petitions are granted, the sentences will be reduced. Inmates become eligible to get out after serving the shortened sentence.

The Justice Department said all the the inmates being released at the end of October have already gone through that process. Many already have been moved to halfway houses or home detention. Most will continue to be monitored by probation officers after their release.

Thousands of other offenders are expected to be eligible for release in the future as a result of the sentencing commission action.

This story was originally published October 7, 2015 at 12:38 PM with the headline "Small local impact expected from federal prisoner release."