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A BREAK FOR CRACK CONS
AP
March 4, 2008
Some 20,000 inmates convicted of crack-related offenses may get their sentences cut as a result of new federal guidelines that went into effect yesterday.
Previously, a person with one gram of crack would receive the same sentence as someone with 100 grams of the powdered form of cocaine.
The disparity has been decried as racially discriminatory, since four of every five crack defendants in the United States are black, while most powdered-cocaine convictions involve whites.
About 1,600 inmates across the country are eligible for immediate release this week.
Attorney General Michael Mukasey has warned that nearly 80 percent of the crack inmates are violent felons "likely to commit another crime."
 | Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. |
Copyright Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
