Cory Booker's 'Second Look' Reforms Would Create More Chances To Reduce Federal Prison Sentences
Judges would be permitted to rethink sentences after 10 years have been served, particularly for inmates over the age of 50.
Mandatory Minimums
Joe Biden's New Criminal Justice Platform Calls for Eliminating Harsh Policies Sponsored by Joe Biden
A breathtaking repudiation of his own legacy on criminal justice
Congressman Asked Bureau of Prisons Three Times About Nonviolent Offender Who Later Died in Maximum Security Lockup
A congressman forwarded messages to the Bureau of Prisons from Rick Turner's family begging for his relocation. Two were ignored.
Cory Booker Proposes Thousands of Drug War Commutations If Elected President
Booker would move the process away from prosecutors and into the White House.
A Judge Called His Mandatory Sentence 'Excessive' and 'Wrong.' Less Than a Year Later He Died In Federal Prison
Frederick Turner was sentenced to a mandatory 40 years on nonviolent drug and firearm charges. He ended up in a high-security federal prison, and now he's dead.
1,051 Crack Sentence Reductions Illustrate Painful Progress Toward a Less Mindlessly Punitive Justice System
On average, crack offenders who have benefited from the FIRST STEP Act will serve 14 years instead of 20.
In the Space of One Minute, Joe Biden Defends the Death Penalty for Drug Dealers, Asset Forfeiture, and Mandatory Minimums
This 1991 Senate floor speech shows Biden's central role in crafting disastrous crime policies.
The Washington Post Blames Obama for Fentanyl Deaths
The paper suggests that more drug law enforcement is the solution to a problem created by drug law enforcement.
Paul Manafort's Lenient Prison Sentence Isn't the Travesty—the Rest of the System Is
The problem isn't that a judge went easy on a rich defendant. It's that mandatory minimums make it impossible to do the same in many other cases.
Florida Sentenced Nonviolent Drug Offenders to Decades in Prison. New Laws Could Change That
The passage of the bipartisan FIRST STEP Act in Congress and a struggling, expensive prison system have Florida lawmakers considering similar reforms.
Trump Decries Unjust Crack Sentences but Wants to Repeat the Mistake With Fentanyl
Reducing the thresholds for mandatory minimums in fentanyl cases will produce more injustices like the ones the president highlighted last night.
Rather Than Running for President, Maybe Joe Biden Should Just Launch an Apology Tour
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the former vice president acknowledges regrets about his role in the drug war and mass incarcerations.
The Number of Men in Federal Prison for Viewing or Sharing Child Pornography Has Nearly Septupled Since 2004
Most are serving mandatory minimums, usually for crimes that did not involve assault or sexual abuse.
Hello, FIRST STEP Act! Goodbye, Jeff Sessions! The Year in Criminal Justice Reform
2018 was a mixed bag, but that means there was still a lot of good news.
Here Are the 'Improvements' That Won a Senate Vote on Sentencing Reform
The last-minute changes show how hard it is to make the criminal justice system more proportionate and discriminating.
Trump Considers Tying Criminal Justice Reforms to Border Wall Funding
The FIRST STEP Act might get shoved into an end-of-year spending bill.
How Mandatory Minimum Reform Will Work with "Stacked" Charges
My case involving Weldon Angelos illustrates the problem with "stacking" federal mandatory minimum gun charges from a single episode. The statute will apparently soon be amended to become a true recidivism statute.
Hey, Libertarians! The Criminal Justice Reform Movement Sees You Out There
At a celebrity-headlined and media-focused summit on incarceration, the speakers recognize their allies.
Top National Police Organization Declares Support for Modest Federal Sentencing Reforms
What did it take? A promise not to make mandatory minimum reductions retroactive.
Florida Passed A Hugely Important Amendment to Allow Lawmakers to Reduce Criminal Sentences
And a state lawmaker says criminal justice reform bills are already on the way.
Federal Judge Advocates Jury Nullification After Being Shocked by Overzealous Child Pornography Prosecution
It just makes sense to let jurors know about their already established power to exercise discretion over bad laws and ill-considered prosecutions.
Calvin Bryant Was Serving a Draconian Mandatory Minimum Sentence. Now He's Free
Under Tennessee's harsh drug-free school zone laws, Bryant received a 17-year sentence for a first-time drug offense.
This Florida Ballot Measure Is the Only Shot at Relief for Inmates Serving Draconian Sentences
Florida has rolled back some of its worst mandatory minimum laws, but the inmates sentenced under them have no relief.
Trump Pardons Oregon Ranchers Convicted in Brush Fire Case
Steve and Dwight Hammond became a cause célèbre for angry ranchers and another example of inflexible mandatory minimum sentences.
Black Gun Owner Will Give Birth in Prison After Trying to Protect 2-Year-Old Daughter from Assailant
Siwatu-Salama Ra used a legally purchased firearm to protect her family. She was sentenced to 2 years in prison.
Report: Imprisoning Drug Users Doesn't Stop Drug Use or Prevent Overdoses
Somebody tell the president.
Here Are 5 Criminal Justice Reform Measures That Americans Say They Support
A new poll says voters want change. They can get it if they truly want it.
The Myth of the Playground Pusher
In Tennessee and around the country, "drug-free school zones" are little more than excuses for harsher drug sentencing.
Massachusetts Mulls Whether to Classify Drug Dealers as Murderers
Even while scaling back mandatory minimums, politicians can't resist trying to punish people to fight drugs.
Trump Wants to Arrest His Way Out of the Opioid Overdose Crisis
The president lacks subtlety or substance over a chronic public health problem-go figure.
If Jared Kushner Wants to Reform Federal Drug Sentences, Here's What He Should Keep in Mind
Passing federal sentencing reform will be the hardest thing he's ever done.
Sessions Boosts Forfeiture and Mandatory Minimums but Lets Pot Prohibition Collapse
Could the contrast have something to do with his boss's policy preferences?
Jeff Sessions Wants More Mandatory Minimums, Less Justice
The attorney general is determined to reverse the recent trend toward more judicious use of severe penalties.
More Evidence That Eric Holder's Charging Memo Helped Drug Offenders
It looks like the policy Jeff Sessions rescinded did have a significant impact on the sentences received by nonviolent, low-level defendants.
GOP Maps Out New Ways to Throw People in Federal Prison
Senators drafting massive combination bill with "Kate's Law" and "Back the Blue" mandatory minimum sentences that are expensive, unneeded.
House Overwhelmingly Supports Bill Subjecting Teen Sexters to 15 Years in Federal Prison
The bill was requested by the Department of Justice after federal prosecutors bungled a child exploitation case.
Federal Prosecutors Say They Never See Low-Level Drug Offenders
Defending the DOJ's new, harsher charging policy, assistant U.S. attorneys say they only prosecute high-level offenders.
Rand Paul 'Surprised' By Sessions' Support for Harsher Sentencing, Won't Stop Fighting for Reform
Paul, Leahy, and Merkley have reintroduced the Justice Safety Valve Act and think "we could get the president to sign it."
How Many Drug Offenders Benefited From the Holder Memo That Sessions Rescinded?
The impact of the new charging policy was not as big as the DOJ implied.
Jeff Sessions Is a Glutton for Punishment
The attorney general wants prosecutors to maximize penalties for drug offenders, regardless of the threat they pose.
California Senate Passes Bill Easing Up on Some Drug Sentencing
If successful, state would stop piling on more punishment for prior convictions.
Rand Paul: Sessions Misled Me on Drug Sentencing
Senator slams the Attorney General's new directive, and offers new explanation for his confirmation vote.
