Fair Sentencing Act of 2010

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 was a law that reduced the disparity in sentences for crack cocaine and powder cocaine offenses. Prior to this law, individuals caught with small amounts of crack cocaine faced much harsher punishments than those with similar quantities of powder cocaine, despite the drugs being similar in effects. The Act lowered the minimum sentences for crack cocaine, making them more comparable to powder cocaine sentences, and eliminated the "bust-out" provision, promoting fairer sentencing and addressing systemic inequalities in the criminal justice system.