Mobile Press-Register: "Sessions' bill promotes fairness in sentencing"

The Press-Register praises Sen. Sessions for sponsoring a bill to reduce disparities in sentences for possession of cocaine in its various forms.

SEN. JEFF Sessions has shown admirable persistence in trying to right a wrong caused by well-intended efforts to fight the nation's drug trade.

A decade ago, after he was first elected to the U.S. Senate, Sen. Sessions began talking about the need to lessen the disparity in sentencing for federal offenses involving crack cocaine and the powder form of the drug. In recent years, the former state and federal prosecutor has co-sponsored bills that would significantly narrow that sentencing gap.

Under the current law, possession of a small amount of crack (five grams) carries the same sentence as possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. The minimum sentence for possession of five grams of crack is five years -- with no parole. ...

Referring to the sentencing disparity, Sen. Sessions told The Associated Press, "It can't be sustained on public policy arguments. Congress has mandated these sentences and we should constantly monitor what we did and adjust it for fairness."

A bill co-authored by Sen. Sessions would promote fairness in sentencing without undermining the war on drugs. The proposed legislation would raise the threshold for the five-year sentence to 20 grams of crack. It also would lower (to 400 grams) the amount of powder cocaine triggering a five-year sentence.

Like so many bills in Congress, Sen. Sessions' bill has become a victim of partisan intransigence. Most Democrats don't think the bill does enough to eliminate the sentencing disparity. Many Republicans are reluctant to support changes that would soften the mandatory sentences.

On this issue, however, Democrats and Republicans ought to be able to find common ground. Liberal Democrats insist they want legislation that closes the racial gap in sentencing. Sen. Sessions, a solid conservative with law-and-order credentials, agrees that the current law is indefensible.

The two sides need to resolve their differences and approve changes that would actually strengthen the law by ensuring that it's fairly applied to criminals of all races.

I think that the Press-Register's argument overstates the racial angle, but other than that, I agree. Sessions's bill would add a shot of sanity to the federal government's war on drugs.