Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act a Significant Step Forward
October 7, 2015
On Thursday October 1, a bipartisan group of Senators unveiled The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act. The bill would lower costs in the federal prison system and reform sentencing for non-violent offenders. Among the package of reforms, the bill reduces certain mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders and gives judges increased discretion by expanding “safety valve” laws. Such efforts could potentially divert low-level offenders away from harsher punishments intended for the leaders and organizers of criminal conspiracies. One immediate change that could benefit over 6,000 federal inmates is that the bill makes the 2010 FAIR Act retroactive, which means that