CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - Hundreds of federal inmates convicted of crack cocaine crimes in the Charlotte area can apply for reduced sentences beginning Monday.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission in December retroactively lowered punishment for some inmates to narrow differences in penalties for crack versus powder cocaine.
The decision means about 800 inmates convicted in western North Carolina can petition the courts for early release. The Charlotte Observer reports that the vast majority of those cases is in Charlotte.
Some 175 had filed for sentence reductions as of last week although the commission's ruling had not taken effect.
Clerk Frank Johns of the U.S. District Court for Western North Carolina said in most cases, inmates could have 13 to 16 months knocked off their sentences.
But Johns said court officials anticipate only a fraction will go free early. Judges can deny petitions on factors such as the inmates criminal history or behavior in prison.
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Information from: The Charlotte Observer,
http://www.charlotte.com
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