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The disparity in sentences for crack versus powder had long been criticized as racially discriminatory because it disproportionately affected black defendants. The Fair Sentencing Act passed by Congress in 2010 and signed by President Barack Obama reduced the disparity for future cases.
This summer the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which sets federal sentencing policy, decided to apply the act to inmates already serving time.
The commission estimates about 12,000 inmates could benefit overall. The effect of the change will largely be spread out over the next several years, with inmates getting an average of three years shaved off. But nearly 1,900 prisoners are estimated to be eligible for immediate release Tuesday.
It's not clear how many individuals will go free on the first day inmates are eligible.
AP News | The Columbia Daily Tribune - Columbia, Missouri (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FREEING_CRACK_PRISONERS?SITE=MOCOD&SECTION=HOME &TEMPLATE=DEFAULT - broken link)
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