{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.014066496163682864, 'fraction_numerical': 0.00319693094629156, 'mean_word_length': 4.817843866171004, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
A Generational Shift for Federal Drug Sentences

It has been a generation since the laws governing federal drug sentences were put into place. Since the 1980s, our society, our attitudes, and our criminal justice system have evolved. The Supreme Court case law, the statutes and United States Sentencing Guidelines (" Guidelines "), and the realities on the ground have changed significantly. With the benefit of experience and new thought, many are considering whether a change—a generational shift—in our approach to federal drug sentences is appropriate. I have had the privilege of serving as a federal district court judge for twenty years now and over that time have gained a greater understanding of the federal criminal justice system. The past three years serving as chair of the United States Sentencing Commission have provided me with an opportunity to understand better the impact of the sentencing laws in the federal system. I have appreciated being part of this discussion as chair of the Commission at a time when we as a society have returned to the debate on sentencing policies from a very different perspective than we had a generation ago. This article focuses on policies regarding drug offenders and drug penalties as one means to effect change in the federal prison populations and costs. Drug offenders make up about a third of the offenders sentenced federally every year and a majority of the prisoners serving in the federal Bureau of Prisons, 1 so they are in many ways the key to the size and nature of the federal prison population.