BUZZFEED — The U.S. Sentencing Commission on Friday voted to make recent guidelines lowering prison sentences for most federal drug offenses fully retroactive to all currently serving federal sentences under the guidelines.
As BuzzFeed reported earlier this week, the question before the commission was whether approximately 50,000 drug offenders serving time currently will be able to petition a judge to review their sentences according to the new standards. The Justice Department had opposed making the changes fully retroactive.
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The commission unanimously voted yes Friday to make the decision retroactive, although the decision will not allow for release of any prisoners until Nov. 1, 2015. The approximately 50,000 people affected represent around 25% of the total federal prison population — approximately 210,000 convicts.
“This amendment received unanimous support from Commissioners because it is a measured approach,” Judge Patti B. Saris, chair of the Commission, said in a statement. “It reduces prison costs and populations and responds to statutory and guidelines changes since the drug guidelines were initially developed, while safeguarding public safety.”
Read more at Buzzfeed.
