Promise
Reduce the federal crack-powder sentencing disparity
Tracked as delivered because the Fair Sentencing Act reduced the statutory disparity from 100-to-1 to 18-to-1, producing a clear legal change even though it did not eliminate the gap entirely.
President
Barack Obama
Status
Delivered
Topic
Criminal Justice
Actions
2
Outcomes
1
Impact Context
Documented outcome directions: Positive.
Promise Text
Barack Obama campaigned on reducing the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity, which had produced sharply unequal criminal penalties with disproportionate effects on Black communities.
Evidence and Linked Records
Fair Sentencing Act of 2010
Policy • Law
Sentencing Disparities in the United States: Law, Enforcement, and Unequal Outcomes
Explainer • Criminal Justice
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Sources
Congress.gov • Government
U.S. Department of Justice • Government