Mandatory minimum sentences for drug charges should be eliminated, according to the NAACP. This would substantially reduce the time inmates spend in prison on drug-related charges. Additionally, since drug charges make up the majority of nonviolent crimes in prison, this would significantly reduce the number of nonviolent offenders. According to the Sentencing Project, “Trends in US Correctional Facilities,” 53% of offenders in state prisons have committed violent crimes and 5.9% of offenders in federal prisons have committed violent crimes (Sentencing Project). This shows that nearly half of criminals in state prisons and the vast majority of criminals in federal prisons have not committed violent crimes. According to the New York Times Editorial Division, the government must “provide more opportunities for rehabilitation within prison. Use alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders, drug addicts, and the mentally ill. Release elderly or sick prisoners, who are less likely to reoffend” (End Mass Incarceration Now). This article argues that prisoners who have not committed violent crimes should have alternatives to prison such as drug rehabilitation or other forms of penal reform. This could keep large numbers of people out