May
18
2017
May 18, 2017
May 2017
Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recently issued tough-on-crime drug sentencing memo runs counter to bipartisan efforts to overhaul the criminal justice system, said Mona Lynch, professor of criminology, law and society.
The memo is "a direct swipe at both the congressional effort to do sentencing reform and the U.S. attorneys’ offices efforts to reduce mandatory minimums," Lynch told Bloomberg BNA.
It could also induce conflict within the Republican Party, Lynch said, since many congressional Republicans support reduced sentencing, and many red states are rolling back harsh crime policies to help lower prison populations and balance their budgets.