Atty. Gen. Eric Holder Jr.

Nonviolent criminal offenders may serve less time in jail under a Justice Department proposal aimed at overhauling strict anti-drug laws and mandatory minimum prison sentences, CNN reports.

The goal is to give judges more discretion and to offer alternatives to prison, such as drug court.

Even tough-on-crime conservatives are climbing aboard, saying the prison-industrial complex is inflexible and expensive, CNN reported.

Attorney General Eric Holder is planning to address the issue Monday at a speech in San Francisco.