(Washington, D.C.) – In a memo today to all federal prosecutors, Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson rescinded former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ 2017 charging policy that directed federal prosecutors to “charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense.” The following is a statement from Jon M. Greenbaum, chief counsel and senior deputy director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
“Discriminatory tough-on-crime policies are outdated and need to end. The Sessions approach encouraged prosecutors to pursue harsh strategies that only widened the racial disparities endemic to our criminal justice system. The move by acting Attorney General Wilkinson to direct prosecutors to conduct an individualized assessment when making charging and sentencing decisions is a clean break from the unjust tactics of overincarceration.”
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