March 30, 2021 3:20 a.m.

U.S. Senator Ron Wyden has introduced legislation that would modernize federal drug sentencing policies by lowering certain mandatory drug sentences.

Wyden said, “In too many cases, mandatory minimum sentences have imprisoned people for longer than is just”. He said the proposal “…takes a critical step toward dismantling the enormous costs of over incarceration for nonviolent drug crimes for both communities and taxpayers, when those resources would be put to better use through effective strategies like crime prevention and prisoner reentry programs”.

The release said the Smarter Sentencing Act gives federal judges the authority to conduct individualized reviews to determine the appropriate sentences for certain nonviolent drug offenses. It said the central remaining sentencing reform in the legislation would reduce mandatory minimum penalties for certain nonviolent drug offenses. Wyden said the Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementation of that provision would save taxpayers approximately $3 billion over ten years.

More information regarding the legislation is linked: https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-that-would-lower-mandatory-drug-sentences