More Than 1,800 Prisoners Eligible for Immediate Release Under Retroactive Crack Sentencing Rules

A June vote by the U.S. Sentencing Commission is good news for more than 1,800 prisoners who are now eligible for immediate release.

The commission vote gave retroactive application to a 2010 law reducing crack cocaine sentencing disparities, the New York Times reports. Eventually, about 12,000 inmates could see their average 13-year sentences reduced by an average of three years, the story says.

Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke said prisons have been checking records in advance of the release of the 1,800 prisoners to make sure there are no complicating factors such as concurrent sentences or pending charges. “I would say that we’re having a busy day,” he told the Times.

One of the prisoners who won release is Darryl Flood, who has already served 10 years in prison for crack cocaine crimes. His sister, Susan Cardwell, told the Times that Flood was tired of prison food and planned to eat on his way home from prison, possibly at an all-you-can-eat buffet.