Crack-Cocaine Sentencing

After 20 years, U.S. lawmakers have changed federal sentencing for crack cocaine offenses.

A new law went into effect on Nov 1 that would shorten the mandatory sentences for people charged with possession of crack cocaine. The law would apply only to new offenses. Officials are deciding whether to apply the new guidelines to people already in prison on crack cocaine charges.

Before the revisions, U.S. law mandated a minimum five-year prison term for people caught with five grams of crack cocaine. People caught with powder cocaine would have to be in possession of a far larger quantity of the drug—500 grams—to get the same minimum five-year sentence.

This huge disparity, or the 100-1 ratio as it has been called, has drawn criticism from many people who say the law exemplifies racial injustice in the criminal justice system. Over 80 percent of people convicted for crack cocaine offenses are black, for powder cocaine defenses, the majority of offenders are white.

Relevant Links:

The Sentencing Project information on crack sentencing reform

Associated Press article on whether new guidelines will apply to people already in prison

Kansas City Star editorial on whether new guidelines will be effective