October 10, 2017 Senate Introduces the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2017

On October 5, 2017, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators led by Mike Lee (R-UT) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the Smarter Sentencing Act of 2017. This legislation would modernize federal drug sentencing policies by giving federal judges more discretion in sentencing those convicted of non-violent drug offenses.

“Our current federal sentencing laws are out of date, they are often counterproductive, and in far too many cases they are unjust,” said Senator Lee. “The Smarter Sentencing Act is a commonsense solution that will greatly reduce the financial and, more importantly, the human cost imposed on society by the broken status quo. The SSA will give judges the flexibility and discretion they need to impose stiff sentences on the most serious drug lords and cartel bosses while enabling nonviolent offenders to return more quickly to their families and communities.”

Although the actual text of the bill is currently unavailable, we assume the bill is similar to the Smarter Sentencing act of 2015 that we commented on below. The Staff at National Prison and Sentencing Consultants is appreciative that these Senators have reintroduced this very important bill. We remain hopeful that both sides of the aisle can get together and do what is right for the American people and reduce the use of mandatory minimum sentences and allow for shorter sentences for non-violent drug offenders. NPSC will provide a detailed analysis once the bill is available. In the meantime, if you have any questions please call 615-696-6153 or contact us at [email protected]