Meanwhile, the sharp increase in drug offenders has greatly changed the structure of the prison population. For many years larceny convicts were the single largest group behind bars. No more. They are greatly outnumbered by the 26,262 drug inmates, who constitute 64% of the 41,158 prison population, twelve times that of larceny inmates at the end of July, 1995. This figure is a far cry from, say, five years ago when drug inmates accounted for less then 20% of total inmates. The fact that out of every three inmates there are almost two drug offenders not only exacerbates the already formidable problem of overcrowding but also poses profound challenges to criminal policy in general and prison management in particular. This is the basic reason why an overhaul of the two drug laws is being actively pursued.