ATTORNEY GENERAL SESSIONS LAUNCHES A HUGE BLOW TO AN OBAMA-ERA POLICY
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has sought the end of an Obama-era policy which favored
giving the least possible jail time when prosecuting criminals.
In a memo to all 94 U.S. attorneys, Sessions made a 180-degree departure from the Obama
administration.
"It is a core principle that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious,
readily provable offense," Sessions said.
"The most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence,
including mandatory minimum sentences," Sessions later added.
Attorney General Sessions claimed that this change was necessary in order to fulfill the
DOJ's obligations to the U.S. citizens.
"This policy affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and
produces consistency.
This policy fully utilizes the tools Congress has given us," he wrote.
"Our responsibility is to fulfill our role in a way that accords with the law, advances
public safety, and promotes respect for our legal system.
It is of the utmost importance to enforce the law fairly and consistently.
Charging and sentencing recommendations are crucial responsibilities for any federal prosecutor,"
Sessions wrote.
He continued: "The directives I am setting forth below are simple but important.
They place great confidence in our prosecutors and supervisors to apply them in a thoughtful
and disciplined manner, with the goal of achieving just and consistent results in federal cases."
Attorney General Sessions has been proposing much tougher actions against criminals lately.
" Aggressive prosecutions of federal laws can be effective in combatting crime," he
said in a March 8 memo urging U.S. attorneys to target violent offenders.
"Many violent crimes are driven by drug trafficking and drug trafficking organizations.
For this reason, disrupting and dismantling those drug organizations through prosecutions
under the Controlled Substances Act can drive violent crime down," he added.
"By consistently identifying the leading violent offenders in our communities and employing
all available tools to hold them accountable, we will combat violent crime," Sessions
wrote.
Jeff Sessions also made a huge blow to former Attorney General Eric Holder's "Smart
on Crime" initiative, which focused to reduce charges against non-violent drug offenders
who might otherwise receive mandatory minimum sentences.
During a speech at a summit in West Virginia Attorney General Sessions said that our country
desperately needs tougher law enforcement.
"It is a big, critical part of it.
We're on a bad trend right now.
We've got too much complacency about drugs.
Too much talk about recreational drugs," Sessions said.
"Criminal enforcement is crucial to stopping the violent transnational cartels that smuggle
drugs across our borders, and the thugs and gangs who bring this poison
into
our communities," he added.



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