Published on: Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Today, the Sentencing Commission released an overview report of the use of federal mandatory minimum penalties and the impact of those penalties on the federal prison population. Some of the key findings of the report include:
- In fiscal year 2016, the average sentence length for offenders who were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty was 110 months of imprisonment, nearly four times the average sentence (28 months) for offenders not convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty.
- While the percentage decreased slightly between 2010 and 2016, more than half (55.7%) of federal inmates in custody as of September 30, 2016 were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty.
- Just over one-fifth of all offenders sentenced in fiscal year 2016 (21.9%) were convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty, a difference of 5.3 percentage points from fiscal year 2010 (27.2%).
- Offenders convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty were less likely to receive relief from such penalty at sentencing—38.7 percent of such offenders received relief in fiscal year 2016 compared to 46.7 percent in fiscal year 2010.
- As they did in fiscal year 2010 (38.3%), Hispanic offenders continued to represent the largest group of offenders (40.4%) convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty in fiscal year 2016.
- While Black offenders convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty continued to receive relief from the mandatory minimum penalty least often, the gap between Black offenders and White offenders narrowed from a difference of 11.6 percent in fiscal year 2010 to 3.2 percent in fiscal year 2016.
- Of the 8,342 offenders who were subject to a mandatory minimum penalty at sentencing in fiscal year 2016, Black offenders were the largest group (35.5%), followed by White offenders (31.1%) and Hispanic offenders (30.9%).
For a copy of the report, click here.