Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 08:51:43 -0500
From: belmonte@cns.nyu.edu (Matthew Belmonte)
Message-Id: <199711211351.IAA02471@cns.nyu.edu>
To: senator@dpm.senate.gov, senator_al@damato.senate.gov
Subject: drug sentencing
Cc: drcnet@drcnet.org

Two bills currently in the House would make sentencing for nonviolent,
drug-related infractions more fair, and would make more space in prisons for
truly dangerous, violent criminals.  Please consider introducing or supportting
equivalent legislation in the Senate.

HR 1237 (Frank) would make the afety-valve bill which passed in 1994
retroactive.  The safety-valve gives judges discretion to exempt certain
first-time offenders from minimum sentences and thus allows punishments to be
decided on the merits of the individual case.

HR 2031 (Rangel) would raise the quantity of crack cocaine needed to trigger
the five-year minimum sentence, making it equal to current sentencing
guidelines for powder cocaine.  As you may know, there is a large racial
disparity in the use of crack cocaine as compared to the use of the powder
form.  Making the sentences equal for each form of the drug will thus remove
one source of racial bias from the criminal justice system.