Featured at FAMM
Senate Judiciary Votes to Reform Federal Crack Cocaine Sentencing Policies
On March 11, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed a bill that would reduce the sentencing disparity between federal crack and powder cocaine offenses. It also eliminates the mandatory minimum for possessing crack cocaine. FAMM President Julie Stewart calls the vote "exciting, but also disappointing." Read more
Attorney General Endorses Judiciary Vote on Crack
In an official statement, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder urged Congress to act swiftly in approving crack cocaine sentencing reforms. "There is no law enforcement or sentencing rationale for the current disparity between crack and cocaine powder offenses, and I have strongly supported eliminating it to ensure our sentencing laws are tough, predictable and fair... I look forward to the Senate and the House approving this legislation quickly so that it can be signed into law." Read statement
Good Time Court Case Explained on FAMM Radio
FAMM's Mary Price explains important U.S. Supreme Court cases, including one that will decide how federal "good time" is calculated. Listen now
Sentencing Project Reports a Must-Read for Policymakers
Two new reports by the Sentencing Project found that four states - Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York - have reduced their prison populations by five to 20 percent since 1999 without any increases in crime. The report credits FAMM reform campaigns in Michigan and New Jersey with contributing to the positive results experienced in those states. Read more
A Rude Poke is Not a Violent Felony, says Supreme Court
A decisive majority of the Supreme Court agreed yesterday that mere touching could not be considered use of physical force against another person. The case, Johnson v. United States, No. 08-6925, analyzed the Armed Career Criminal Statute (ACCA) that imposes a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence when a felon in possession of a firearm has three or more prior violent felonies -- crimes that involve the use of force -- on his record. Read more
FAMM Tells Supreme Court How to Fix Good Time Mess
For many years, prisoners, FAMM and others have asked the federal courts to strike down the way the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) awards good time credit to federal prisoners. Now a new Supreme Court case challenges the way the BOP calculates good time credit. Learn about the case and read FAMM's amicus brief. Read more