First Circuit Orders Sentence Reduction

Court Orders Sentence Reduction underAmendment 782

Effective November 1, 2014, Amendment 782 to the United States Sentencing Guidelines, the so-called "Drugs Minus Two Amendment" reduced the guidelines for all federal drug offenses by two levels. This amounts to a reduction of more than a year in prison for most criminal defendants serving time for drug offenses in federal prison.

Thousands of Inmates to be Released

The press widely reported that on November 1, 2015, 6,000 inmates were released early from federal prisons under this Amendment, and there will be tens of thousands more to come in the next several years. The Huffington Post published a helpful FAQ answering some common questions about this law.

In Most Cases, Government does not Oppose Early Release

On October 30, 2015, appears what may be the first mention of Amendment 782 by the First Circuit federal appeals court in Boston. In this appeal by a federal inmate, the government opposed almost every one of the inmate's arguments. The government agreed, however, that he was entitled to sentence reduction under the Amendment.