Advocates for criminal justice reform are pushing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to advance a bill that would eliminate the longstanding sentencing disparities in place for people found guilty of possessing crack cocaine versus powder cocaine.
The bill, known as the Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law, or EQUAL Act, would end the practice of slapping people convicted of crack possession with longer prison stays compared with those sentenced for possessing a comparable amount of powder cocaine. For decades, the sentencing disparities have disproportionately impacted people of color.
Last summer, Schumer made the legislation a priority, but the bill didn’t get a Senate floor vote in last year’s congressional session. Now, advocates are requesting he push for the bill once more, with more than 30 groups demanding he advance it before the end of this summer’s session.
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