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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder delivers a keynote speech at New York University's law school, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, in New York. According to Holder, the Justice Department expects to end the current budget year next week with a federal prison population of roughly 215,000 inmates. The prison population has dropped in the last year by roughly 4,800, the first time in several decades that the inmate count has gone down, according to the Justice Department. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

WASHINGTON (AP) The federal prison population has dropped in the last year by roughly 4,800, the first time in several decades that the inmate count has gone down, according to the Justice Department.

In a speech Tuesday in New York City, Attorney General Eric Holder said the Justice Department expects to end the current budget year next week with a prison population of roughly 215,000 inmates. It would be the first time since 1980 that the federal prison population has declined during the course of a fiscal year.

In addition, internal figures from the Bureau of Prisons show a projected drop of more than 2,000 inmates in the next year, and nearly 10,000 in the year after.

"This is nothing less than historic," Holder said, addressing a conference at the New York University School of Law that was hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice. "To put these numbers in perspective, 10,000 inmates is the rough equivalent of the combined populations of six federal prisons, each filled to capacity."

The crime rate has dropped along with the prison population, Holder said, proving that "longer-than-necessary prison terms" don't improve public safety.

"In fact, the opposite is often true," he said.

With policies that have at times unsettled prosecutors and others in law enforcement, Holder has worked in the last year to reduce a prison population he says is costly and bloated. The Bureau of Prisons accounts for roughly one-third of the Justice Department budget, and the prison population has exploded in the last three decades as a result of "well-intentioned policies designed to be 'tough' on criminals," Holder said.

In August 2013, for instance, he announced a major shift in sentencing policy, instructing federal prosecutors to stop charging many nonviolent drug defendants with offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences. More recently, the Justice Department has encouraged a broader swath of the prison population to apply for clemency, and has supported reductions in sentencing guideline ranges for drug criminals that could apply to tens of thousands of inmates.

"We know that over-incarceration crushes opportunity. We know it prevents people, and entire communities, from getting on the right track," Holder said.

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Federal prison population drops by roughly 4,800

Attorney General Eric Holder told a crowd at New York University that the nation has a critical opportunity to change its approach to policing in the wake of Michael Browns death and the protests that followed in Ferguson, Missouri.

Will we again turn a blind eye to the hard truths that Ferguson exposed, burying these tough realities until another tragedy arises to set them off like a powder keg? Mr. Holder asked.Or will we finally accept this mandate for open and honest dialogue, reach for new and innovative solutions, and rise to the historic challenge and the critical opportunity now right before us?

At an event dubbed Shifting Law Enforcement Goals toReduce Mass Incarceration, held byBrennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, Mr. Holder spoke at length about the need to cut down on incarceration in the country saying doing so would reduce crime and arguing the countrys over-reliance on prison sentenceshad a disparate impact on minority communities.

The United States will never be able to prosecute or incarcerate its way to becoming a safer nation. We must never, and we will never, stop being vigilant against crime, and the conditions and choices that breed it, Mr. Holder said. But, for far too long, under well-intentioned policies designed to be tough on criminals, our system has perpetuated a destructive cycle of poverty, criminality, and incarceration that has trapped countless people and weakened entire communities particularly communities of color.

Though he was speaking in New York,Mr. Holdermade no mention of local issues connected to the themes of his speech such as New Yorks own steep drop in jail populations as crime rates have continued to fall. Nor did he mention the NYPD, its use of stop and frisk though he did mention being stopped himself or thebroken windows policy thatsome criticsargueneedlessly arrestscitizens for minor crimes.

And while he spoke about the unrest in Ferguson, he did not mention the death of Eric Garner, a Staten Island who died as he was being arrested for selling untaxed cigarettes. In his remarks on prison reform, Mr. Holder made no mention of the scandal-ridden Rikers Island, either.

Outside, a small smattering of protesters called for independent reviews of police.One woman shouted: Eric Garner would be alive if he were white!

Mr. Holder did address the tensions between many communities and their police saying discord, mistrust, and roiling tensions fester just under the surface in communities across the country.

The situation in Ferguson has presented leaders across the nation, and criminal justice and civil rights leaders in particular, with a moment of decision and a series of important questions that can no longer be avoided. Will we allow this time, our time, to be defined by division and discord? Or will we summon the resolve, the fortitude, and the vision to reassess and even to remake our system, through cooperation, consensus, and compassion? he asked.

Mr. Holder said the questions werent rhetorical, but he said answering them would require understanding the plights of both people who have felt targeted by police and of police who face dangerous communities.

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Eric Holder Talks Ferguson, Reducing Arrests, at NYU

NEW YORK - Attorney General Eric Holder announced Tuesday that for the first time since 1980, the federal inmate population has fallen, rather than risen.

At the end of the 2014 fiscal year next week, the federal prison population will show a drop to about 215, 000 inmates - about 4,800 fewer than a year ago.

The attorney general called the change a major breakthrough for advocates who have sought to shorten strict sentences for non-violent offenders.

Holder said the Justice Department estimates the federal prison population will continue to fall for the next two years. In 2015, it is projected to drop by 2,200 inmates, he said. In 2016, the population is projected to drop by 10,000 - the equivalent of six federal prisons.

"This is nothing less than historic," Holder said. "Now, these projected decreases won't result in any prison closures, because our system is operating at about 30% above capacity. But my hope is that we're witnessing the start of a trend that will only accelerate."

Holder spoke at New York University School of Law during a conference hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice, a non-partisan law and policy institute that works on issues such as campaign finance, racial justice in criminal law and constitutional protections in the fight against terrorism.

Since President Obama took office, Holder said, overall incarceration rates have fallen by roughly 10%.

"We can all be proud of the progress that's been made at reducing the crime rate over the past couple of decades - thanks to the tireless work of prosecutors and the bravery of law enforcement officials across America," Holder said. "But statistics have shown - and all of us have seen - that high incarceration rates and longer-than-necessary prison terms have not played a significant role in materially improving public safety, reducing crime or strengthening communities."

He said prosecutors should focus on reducing recidivism and violent crime rates to measure progress.

"It's time to shift away from old metrics and embrace a more contemporary, and more comprehensive, view of what constitutes success," Holder said. "This means developing a new system of assessment ?? because what gets measured is what gets funded, and what gets funded is what gets done."

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Holder: Federal inmate numbers drop first time since '80

TRENTON - The New Jersey Senate on Monday unanimously confirmed Jamie Fox, a former lobbyist and Democratic operative, to head the state Department of Transportation.

Fox's confirmation came just four days after Gov. Christie announced his nomination. Christie's selection for president of the Board of Public Utilities, Republican Richard S. Mroz of Haddonfield, also was confirmed.

Fox, 59, of New York City, is a former transportation commissioner who has worked for many New Jersey Democrats, including as chief of staff to Gov. Jim McGreevey. He replaces James Simpson, who resigned in June.

His main challenge will be to replenish the state's depleted Transportation Trust Fund, which finances projects to improve roads, bridges, and rail.

"We've reached the end of the line," Fox said Monday during a confirmation hearing before the Judiciary Committee. "We have to find a way to replenish the Transportation Trust Fund."

Asked by Sen. Gerald Cardinale (R., Bergen) if he would move away from borrowing as the primary way to fund transportation and instead seek to finance projects on a pay-as-you-go basis, Fox said, "I think if we don't move in that direction, we've made a terrible mistake."

Yet the committee notably did not ask Fox where the administration would find the money to shore up the fund.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D., Hudson) has signaled support for increasing the state's 14.5 cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline, which has not been raised in more than 20 years. State Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (D., Union) introduced a bill this year to do just that.

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Democrat Fox confirmed as N.J. transportation commissioner

By Abby Livingston Posted at 5 a.m. today

Bustos is a Democrat from Illinois. (Chris Maddaloni/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Freshman Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., released a new television ad Tuesday revisiting a familiar theme in her media campaign: basketball.

The spot features men in black suits committing flagrant fouls and double-teaming children in a basketball game. The ad concludes with Bustos, a hall-of-fame collegiate basketball player, delivering a behind-the-back pass to a young girl.

This November, Bustos faces a rematch against former Rep. Bobby Schilling, a Republican. The race is ratedLeans Democraticby the Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call.

The spot will air in all three media markets in Illinois 17th District.

Sports metaphors and exhibitions of candidate athletic skills are nothing new in campaign ads, even with Bustos. Last cycle, she hit an over-the-shoulder shot in the final scene of her spot:

More recently, GOP Rep. Curt Clawson, a former Purdue Boilermaker, hit a series of three pointers in his own ad in a Florida special election earlier this year.

In the 2012 cycle, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., hit the batting cages:

Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat

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Democrat Hoops It Up in New TV Ad (Video)