Common Sense from US DOJ on Crack Sentencing

The United States Department of Justice announced today that it supports the elimination of the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. Testimony is expected to be given to Congress in the coming weeks. For full press release from Families Against Mandatory Minimums, click here.

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) hails today’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice that supports replacing the controversial 100:1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine with an even 1:1 ratio. DOJ’s announcement, included in testimony to be delivered on Capitol Hill by Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer, marks the first time the Justice Department has publicly endorsed equalization of the penalties between crack and powder cocaine. This signals a significant shift in DOJ policy, which has previously supported the sentencing disparity that has been in place for more than 20 years.

“DOJ’s support of equalization of crack and powder cocaine penalties means a new day has dawned for fair and proportionate sentencing laws, “ said Mary Price, FAMM Vice President and General Counsel. “Two decades ago, little was known about crack cocaine. Flawed assumptions about the drug drove Congress to adopt a particularly harsh sentencing structure for crack cocaine when it established new mandatory minimums for a host of drug offenses. Now, those perceptions have been repeatedly disproven and discredited.”