Former judges and prosecutors back bill cutting mandatory minimums for drug offenses
The Constitution Project has lined up 130 former judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officials to sign a letter backing more flexibility in federal sentences.
The letter (PDF), delivered Tuesday to the House and Senate judiciary committees, backs the proposed Smarter Sentencing Act, report the Sentencing Law and Policy blog and the Constitution Project. Among those signing the letter is former FBI director William Sessions.
The proposed law would:
• Authorize federal judges to impose sentences below the mandatory minimum for a broader category of nonviolent drug offenses.
• Reduce the mandatory minimum for certain drug crimes.
• Make retroactive provisions of a 2010 law that reduced the disparity in sentences for crack and powder cocaine.
Updated at 5:38 p.m. to correct a typo.
