The Supreme Court paved the way and today the United States Sentencing Commission voted 7-0 to reduce punishments retroactively for prison inmates sentenced for trafficking in Crack. This could shave as much as 15 - 17% off the total term of their sentences if the prisoners meet requirements for parole under good behavior.
It does not end the disparity in sentences for crack versus regular cocaine. The commission as well as the Supreme Court have both referred this issue back to Congress to rewrite the rules. The rules were written twenty years ago, when it was believed that Crack was more dangerous than cocaine. That assumption has proved to be inaccurate and has led to a severe racial disparity in mandatory sentencing for what is essentially the same crime.
This is likely to be a hot button topic during an election year, and it will be an up hill battle between politicians looking to provide equality and those looking to appear tough on crime.
The White House is against a reduction in sentencing for existing prisoners. So far the Commission and the Supreme Court have enabled prison officials time to deal with the applications for early release, but there are many concerns about the safety issue of letting a mass exodus of prisoners out of prison, while providing them with the services they need to assimilate back into society successfully, from parole to drug treatment centers, to job training and beyond.
Retroactively, Panel Reduces Drug Sentences - New York Times
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