US Sentencing Commission releases latest data on compassionate release and retroactivity of 2023 criminal history amendment
The US Sentencing Commission today released a number of notable new data runs. Here is how the data is decribed via the email I received this afternoon:
Preliminary FY24 Compassionate Release Data Report
(October 17, 2024) This data report provides a preliminary analysis of the compassionate release motions filed with the courts and decided through fiscal year 2024.
Retroactivity Data Report on the 2023 Criminal History Amendment
(October 17, 2024) These data reports cover motions for a reduced sentence pursuant to the retroactive application of Parts A and B of Amendment 821, relating to Criminal History (effective November 1, 2023).
There is a lot which can and should be said about all these data, and I hope to discuss the compassionate release data in a separate post. Here I will just note being struck by both the modest and majestic realities of the criminal history amendment retroactivity. The Commission had estimated that over 18,500 federal prisoners would be eligible for a sentence reduction based on the criminal history amendments being made retroactive. These latest data runs show than less than half that number have so far been granted a new reduced sentence. And yet, those numbers still add up to over 8000 fewer years in prison for the beneficiaries of retroactivity.