(Washington, DC) — On January 16, the U.S. Senate passed a new federal budget (H.R. 3547), which includes one million dollars of funding for the formation of the bipartisan, independent, nine-member Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections. President Obama is expected to sign the budget into law on Saturday. The Task Force was championed … Read More
Read MoreOn January 9, the U.S. Sentencing Commission held a public meeting and voted to publish proposed changes (“amendments”) to the federal sentencing guidelines, which are used in all federal criminal cases. One of the proposed amendments would reduce the sentencing guidelines for federal drug trafficking offenses by two base offense levels, for all types of … Read More
Read More(WASHINGTON, D.C.) –FAMM founder and president Julie Stewart today welcomed the announcement that President Barack Obama has granted commutations (sentence reductions) to eight people, including FAMM members Stephanie George, Clarence Aaron, Ezell Gilbert, and Reynolds Wintersmith. FAMM has been a vocal advocate for reform of the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) and for greater … Read More
Read MoreWASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, FAMM founder and president Julie Stewart issued the following statement calling on President Barack Obama to grant more commutations (sentence reductions) to federal prisoners, rather than merely issuing another the annual presidential pardons to Thanksgiving turkeys: “This administration has taken a bold stand against excessive mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent offenders, … Read More
Read MoreWASHINGTON, D.C. — FAMM general counsel, Mary Price, said a new nonpartisan report published today shows that modest mandatory minimum sentencing law reform could save billions of taxpayer dollars, funding which would be better spent on federal programs and personnel that target violent crime. The report, published by the Urban Institute, provides conservative estimates of … Read More
Read MoreWASHINGTON, D.C. — FAMM president Julie Stewart today hailed the introduction of yet another bipartisan sentencing reform bill in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representatives Raul Labrador (R-ID) and Bobby Scott (D-VA). The bill, H.R. 3382, the Smarter Sentencing Act, shows that fixing federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws is growing in importance for both … Read More
Read MoreGAINESVILLE, FLA. – FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) Florida Project Director Greg Newburn today applauded a bill aimed in part at correcting the unintended consequences of Florida’s “10-20-Life” gun sentencing law. HB 89, filed by Representative Neil Combee (R, Polk City), is designed to restore the rights of Floridians to protect the “Defense of Life, … Read More
Read MoreGAINESVILLE, FLA. – FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) Florida Project Director Greg Newburn today applauded a decision by Florida’s First District Court of Appeal granting Marissa Alexander a new trial on her conviction for aggravated assault. Alexander was sentenced to 20 years in prison under Florida’s “10-20-Life” gun sentencing law. The appeals court ruled that … Read More
Read MoreWASHINGTON, D.C. — At a packed public hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, a former federal prosecutor and the director of a conservative criminal justice reform group called on U.S. Senators to roll back federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These witnesses told committee members that one-size-fits-all penalties do more harm than good, a message … Read More
Read MoreGood news on the sentencing guidelines front! On August 15, the U.S. Sentencing Commission decided which guideline changes they want to focus on in 2014 and one of them is to reduce all drug sentences by two levels! As you might remember, each year the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which writes the federal Sentencing Guidelines, suggests … Read More
Read More