Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Sentencing Law and Policy

Criminal Law

: Sentencing Law and Policy

Upcoming House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on crack sentencing

By Douglas A. Berman

As detailed on this official hearing page, the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the House Judiciary Committee has a hearing on crack sentencing scheduled for the morning of Thursday, May 21.  The title of the hearing is "Unfairness in Federal Cocaine Sentencing: Is it Time to Crack the 100 to 1 Disparity?" and the witness list suggests that everyone involved will be speaking out against the current 100:1 drug weight ratio that now exists in federal statutory sentencing provisions. Even though this hearing suggests continuing momentum for change to the current crack/powder statutory status quo, I remain depressingly skeptical that major federal sentencing changes in this area (or others) is imminent.  The many political challenges of reducing sentences ? as well as the many practical challenges of giving retroactive effect to any reduced sentences ? has thwarted needed reforms in this area (and others) for more than a decade...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on May 20, 2009 (boomark / email).