Articles

On April 10th, the United States Sentencing Commission voted to lower the federal narcotic sentencing guidelines by two levels. This would apply to all offenders facing federal drug charge and would result in the average drug sentence being reduced by 11 months. This does not, however, affect mandatory minimums attached to certain drug crimes; someone guilty of a crime […]

In Commonwealth v. Hudson, 2014 WL 2441931, 586 EDA 2013 (Pa.Super. 2014), the Pennsylvania Superior Court clarified when the police have probable cause to search pill bottles in one’s car. In Hudson, the police conducted a traffic stop due to a broken taillight. Before the officers reached the car to talk to the defendant, they […]

Back in January, we featured a blog post about the Obama administration seeking low-level drug offenders who are candidates for clemency because of the old “racist” sentencing guidelines for drug offenses. The push for clemency came after the Fair Sentencing Act was enacted in 2010, which reduced the discriminatory effects of drug sentencing laws on […]

The push to legalize marijuana in New Jersey received a boost from a very unlikely group – the very prosecutors who put people behind bars for marijuana-related crimes. The New Jersey State Municipal Prosecutors Association has recently announced its support of legalization, coming just after two bills were introduced in the New Jersey State Legislature […]

In an unprecedented move, the Obama administration is actively encouraging defense attorneys and prison officials to recommend inmates who are serving sentences for “low-level” drug offenses for clemency. Clemency is the act of pardoning a convicted criminal so that legally the crime was never committed. It can also include simply reducing the sentence that the […]