Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Tens of Thousands of Felons could have Their Prison Terms Cut

The U.S. Sentencing Commission decided yesterday that nearly 50,000 federal drug offenders currently in prison are eligible for reduced sentences, a move that could flood the nation’s courts and prosecutors with applications for leniency.
By a unanimous vote, the commission made retroactive an earlier change that had lightened potential punishments for most future drug offenders who are sentenced starting in November. Yesterday’s move extends that change to 46,000 current inmates, allowing them to have their cases reviewed again by a judge.
The action by the commission – an independent agency that sets sentencing policies for federal crimes – means that nearly half of the nation’s 100,000 federal drug inmates can apply for reductions. Those eligible could have their sentences shaved by an average of about two years, the commission said. Congress has until November to void the move, which would take effect next year, but there is little indication of opposition on Capitol Hill.
The sentencing commission vote is the latest sign of an emerging shift in the country’s approach to criminal justice, particularly illegal drugs, in which the prevailing tough-on-drugs mentality is giving way to an increased emphasis on treatment and health. Democrats and some Republicans have supported slicing sentences for federal drug crimes, while at least 30 states have modified drug-crime penalties since 2009.
Yet the issue remains highly emotional for many, with the sentencing commission receiving more than 60,000 letters before yesterday’s vote, including from dozens of lawmakers, judges, attorneys and advocacy groups. The overwhelming majority favored the change, the commission said.
Advocates hailed the decision – which applies to most trafficking cases regardless of the drug – as among the most significant drug-law reforms in a generation, saying it will help reverse years of tough policies dating to the 1970s that have included controversial mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders.
“Tens of thousands of prisoners stand to benefit from this very just and very bold decision, and of course tense of thousands of their loved ones,” said Mary Price, general counsel for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, an advocacy group.
Read the rest of the story HERE.

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