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August 16, 2013

U.S. Sentencing Commission Votes to Review Prison Terms for Drug Offenses 
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The commission that issues sentencing guidelines to federal judges has
unanimously voted to consider softening its framework for drug offenses.
The panel voted to work with Congress to reduce the "severity and scope"
of mandatory minimum sentences and said it would assess its own
guidelines regarding prison terms based on certain amounts of drugs. In
a statement, the commission said, "Drug offenders account for nearly
half of all federal inmates, and an adjustment to the Drug Quantity
Tables in the sentencing guidelines could have a significant impact on
sentence lengths and prison populations." Attorney General Eric Holder
signaled a major shift on sentencing this week, including instructing
federal prosecutors to sidestep mandatory minimums for some drug
offenses.

 

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