Federal Government

Ten years ago, the American Bar Association Task Force on the Federalization of Crime published its final report documenting the enormous size and scope of federal criminal law.

Senate Staff Briefing Sponsored by the Justice Roundtable Friday, October 27, 2006 12:00 – 1:00 226 Dirksen (Bring your brown bag lunch) On October 27, 1986 President Ronald Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The law’s mandatory penalties for crack cocaine offenses are the toughest ever adopted for low-level drug offenses. A defendant convicted with five grams of crack cocaine (the weight of less than two sugar packets) is subject to a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. The same five-year penalty is triggered for powder cocaine only when the offense involves 500 grams, 100 times the minimum quantity for crack. Twenty years later it is time to re- evaluate the implications of this law and determine whether the law’s application reflects Congress’s intent in 1986 when the legislation was enacted. Panelists will discuss the effects of the legislation on drug abuse and public safety, as well as a range of proposals for reform.