The president is seeking a change in crack law disparities.
Wired PR News – President Barack Obama is seeking to reform crack law sentencing, which is said to punish black offenders unfairly. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), Obama’s administration is asking Congress to make laws more fair in regards to prison sentences given for dealing crack and powdered cocaine.
As noted in the report, under current laws, a person found to have sold five grams of crack would be given a mandatory sentence equal to that of someone who sells 500 grams of cocaine powder. The laws are said to disproportionately give black offenders longer prison sentences than those given to whites for similar crimes.
Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer is quoted by the AP as stating in written testimony, “The administration believes Congress’ goal should be to completely eliminate the disparity in prison sentences between crack cocaine and powdered cocaine.”
