The FASTRACK program was developed by the prosecutors of the Southern (Federal) District of California to expeditiously resolve large volumes of primarily drug and immigration cases that were causing immense backlog in the courts. (Located in San Diego and close to the U.S./Mexico border, the Office of the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District handles an exceptionally large number of these cases). The FASTRACK is a written plea bargain system which guarantees the lowest possible sentence to a guilty defendant in exchange for a quickly-issued plea (a defendant must agree to the bargain within 48 hours of arrest). The system has been exceptionally successful in reducing backlog.