Crack Cocaine & Federal Court

On May 1, 2007, the US Sentencing Commission proposed an amendment to the US Sentencing Guidelines to reduce the sentencing ranges fro crack cocaine offenses by two levels. The amendment went into effect on November 1, 2007, and will affect 70% of crack cocaine cases sentenced in federal courts, reducing sentences by an average of 15 months.

On December 11, 2007 the Sentencing Commission voted to make the crack amendment retroactice to prisoners sentenced before November 1, 2007 for crack cocaine offenses. The effective date of retroactivity is March 3, 2008, giving the courts and probation officers time to prepare to process cases.

For more information on this important development, contact David Finn.
David Finn