U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland instructed federal prosecutors on Friday to end disparities in the way they charge offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
The change, outlined in a pair of internal memos released by the Justice Department on Friday, is a win for criminal justice reform advocates, who point out that the current sentencing regime has led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black Americans since the policy was adopted nearly 40 years ago.
Mandatory minimum sentences for crack-related offenses are currently 18 times lengthier than those for powder cocaine. The Justice Department has supported eliminating that disparity and a bipartisan group of lawmakers is working on legislation that would significantly reduce it.
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