Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds U.S. Sentencing Commission for Extending the Fair Sentencing Act to Individuals Serving Unfairly Long Sentences for Crack Cocaine Offenses

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s decision to make approximately 12,000 individuals eligible for sentence reductions under the Fair Sentencing Act:

“Today’s unanimous vote by the U.S. Sentencing Commission represents a significant step forward for greater fairness in our criminal justice system. The decision addresses an intolerable injustice that was at the heart of the Fair Sentencing Act, which Congress passed last year to reduce the massive sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses. To have allowed that disparity to continue for those sentenced under the previous law would have extended an unduly harsh and discriminatory penalty that Congress overwhelmingly recognized as unjust and unfair.

Today’s vote will give thousands of men and women the opportunity to seek reductions in their sentences in line with the new law. Correcting these sentences will go a long way toward alleviating some of the pain felt by the families and communities most impacted by this disparity.

The hard truth remains that any disparity in cocaine sentencing is both morally wrong and corrosive to the public trust that sustains our criminal justice system. While we applaud this as another step forward for these communities, the only fair and just solution is a complete elimination of these disparities.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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