Sadie Gurman has this article in the WSJ on a wave of prisoner releases today as a result of the First Step Act.

Federal sentencing law has long been more severe than most state laws, and some adjustments are in order. I was in favor of bringing down then-Senator Biden's absurd 100/1 crack/powder ratio for cocaine, for example.

Whether the First Step Act is successfully implemented to separate those who actually deserve earlier release from those who need to be kept locked up remains to be seen. The dismal drafting of the bill certainly is no guarantee. See this post and this letter.

With Bill Barr at the helm, we at least have a shot that this won't turn out to be a massive jailbreak. Of course, administrative implementation can be reversed by a subsequent administration, but the policies established at the threshold do have a tendency to get baked in, so there is some hope.