Many things can impact how federal drug crime cases go. Among these are the actions and steps taken by the person facing the drug allegations in the various stages of their case. So, understanding one’s options and situation from the very beginning can be critical for individuals accused of federal drug crimes. Given this, getting strong legal guidance from the very start can be important for federal drug crime suspects.
Another thing that can be impactful in federal drug crime cases is U.S. government policy on prosecuting federal cases. Recently, a significant change was made in such policy.
Under previous policy, federal prosecutors were instructed to steer clear of going after the highest available charges for certain offenses, including certain types of drug offenses. The aim of this was to avoid triggering mandatory sentencing for certain offenses.
Recently, the U.S. Department of Justice reversed this policy. Instead, federal prosecutors are now being instructed to pursue the highest-severity readily provable charge they can in their prosecutions and to strictly adhere to federal sentencing rules. The policy change has already stirred up a fair amount of debate, with some saying it could help combat the drug problem and others saying it could cause significant problems.
One wonders how big of a change this policy shift will trigger in what kinds of charges end up being pursed in federal drug prosecutions. Additionally, one wonders what impacts this policy will have on things like the level of drug-crime-related imprisonment in the United States. What do you think the outcome of this policy shift will be?
