- Target:
- sentencing commission
- Region:
- United States of America
In an annual report sent to Congress Monday, the US Sentencing Commission announced it had amended federal sentencing guidelines to lower the sentences imposed on people convicted of federal crack cocaine offenses.
Unless Congress takes affirmative action to block the move, it will go into effect on November 1. The report also urged Congress to address the 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine sentences.
Under the controversial crack laws, people convicted of distribution offenses involving five grams of the drug face five-year mandatory minimum prison sentences, while it takes 500 grams of powder cocaine to trigger the same penalty. Similarly, someone convicted of distributing more than 50 grams of crack faces a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence, while it would take five kilograms of powder cocaine to get the 10 years.
We, the undersigned, ask Congress not to block this change.
We want lower and fairer sentencing for crack offenses.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Fair Sentencing for Crack Offenses petition to sentencing commission was written by Terrie Blacklege and is in the category Civil Rights at GoPetition.