U.S. Senator Corey Booker of New Jersey and U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois have reintroduced the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act. The bipartisan proposal will attempt to “eliminate the federal crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparity and apply it retroactively to those already convicted or sentenced.” Thus far, the bill has garnered support from federal lawmakers Kelly Armstrong, Hakeem Jeffries, Lindsey Graham, Thom Tillis, Chris Coons, Rand Paul and Cynthia Lummis.
“It is unjust that, for decades, baseless and unscientific sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine have contributed to the explosion of mass incarceration in the United States and disproportionately impacted poor people, Black and Brown people, and people fighting mental illness,” Booker said.
The disparities in sentencing for crimes pertaining to the possession of crack and powder cocaine have been the subject of scrutiny for decades. As of December, an individual can be sentenced to at least five years behind bars for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. In comparison, possessing 28 grams of crack cocaine can earn a five-year minimum sentence under federal law.
“The crack-powder cocaine sentencing disparity disproportionally impacts people of color, with 81 percent of those convicted of federal crack offenses from 2015 to 2019 being Black,” Senator Durbin said.
“I’m joining Senator Booker in introducing the EQUAL Act to get rid of this discriminatory sentencing disparity for good.”
