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1b1 Task 1

Decent Essays

Mr. President, on July 18, 2014 the United States Sentencing Commission amended policy 1B1.10. This amendment, amendment 782, reduced the offense levels of federal inmates with statutory mandatory minimum penalties in 2D1.1, by two levels. In doing so, the Commission created eligibility for early release for an estimated 46,000 offenders, 400 of which are from the State of Iowa. This amendment will be applied retroactively, and the effective date of sentence reductions will be enacted on November 1, 2015. The Commission stated that, “the purpose of the amendment is to reflect the Commission’s determination that setting the base offense levels above mandatory minimum penalties is no longer necessary and that a reduction would be an appropriate step toward alleviating the overcapacity of the federal prisons.” I fear that in an effort to alleviate capacity issues, some, offenders will be eligible for release that have an extensive criminal history and are not non-violent offenders. …show more content…

is one of many individuals that will qualify for a reduction in sentence. Mr. Ortiz Jr. was most recently sentenced as the leader of a drug operation, with the intent to distribute marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines. He was also sentenced for the possession of a firearm in relation to drug trafficking. During his most recent trial Mr. Ortiz Jr knowingly, and intentionally, attempted to kill Daniel Andrew Stevens in order to prevent his testimony in the trial against Ortiz. The eligibility of criminals with this type of criminal history and violent tendencies should be scrutinized and questioned

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