udges can slash crack sentences

Justices: Judges can slash crack sentences – CNN.com

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that federal judges have the discretion to give “reasonably” shorter prison terms for crack-cocaine crimes to reduce the disparity with crimes involving cocaine powder.
art.crack.dea.jpgLawyers argue that crack-cocaine offenders were unfairly targeted.

The 7-2 ruling represents a victory for lawyers who argued that crack-cocaine offenders were unfairly targeted under U.S. sentencing guidelines.

Current federal penalties for selling 5 grams of crack cocaine can warrant the same prison sentence as dealing 500 grams of the powdered variety.

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