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The Federal SRA: A Social Experiment Gone Astray
In 1984 Congress confronted the rise in drug and firearm related crimes by instituting a social experiment. The social experiment became known as the Sentencing Reform Act (SRA) of 1984. Congress assumed longer federal prison sentences--without parole--would serve as a serious deterrent to crime, particularly in the case of those …
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More from this issue:
- Law Librarian Liable for Access Violations
- Choice Between Exercise and Access Struck Down
- Officer's Family Awarded $120,000 for Contracting TB
- Service Complete When Delivered to Prison Officials
- Non-Stenographic Depositions, by Paul Wright
- Federal Tort Claims Act Requires Exhaustion
- No Waiver of Witness Fees for IFP Litigants
- No Cause of Action for Defamation
- Opening Legal Mail States Claim
- Some Evidence Standard Meets Due Process
- Rules for Appointment of Counsel Clarified
- Disobeying State Court Order Basis for Section 1983 Liability
- Texas Studies Housing Prisoners in Foreign Countries, by F Lee Weiss
- Sanctions Against Pro Se Litigant Reversed
- Ad-Seg WACs Do Not Create Liberty Interest
- Section 1988 Attorney Fee Awards Explained
- Texas Proposes to Build State "Jails"
- California Visitor Search Ruling Modified
- The Federal SRA: A Social Experiment Gone Astray, by Lee Alphonso Moore
- No Right to Cross Dress
- Increasing Parole Review Time is Ex Post Facto
- Shackling Plainitff Violates Right to Fair Trial
- Money Damages Available for Consent Decree Violations
- US Marshals Liable for Beating
- Probation Officers Only Entitled to Qualified Immunity
- 9th Circuit Announces New Qualified Immunity Rule
- Dismissal Error for Failing to Obey Local Rules
- Ad Seg Right to Eyeglasses and Toilet Paper
- WA Repeals Cons Tolling Statute
- Retaliatory Transfer States Claim
- Default Appropriate for Obstructing Discovery
- Overcrowding Emergency Measures Get Old
- California Prisons Grow
- Court Reporters Entitled to Only Qualified Immunity
- Prisoners Retain Right of Bodily Privacy
- Disciplinary Isolation Triggers Due Process
- Florida Conditions Lawsuit Settled After 21 years
- Periodical Reviews
- City of Refuge, by David Finney
More from Lee Alphonso Moore:
- The Federal SRA: A Social Experiment Gone Astray, Aug. 15, 1993
More from these topics:
- Tenth Circuit Announces Resentencing After Probation Revocation Must Begin with Chapter 7 Range, Holding Chapter 5 Range Should Be Considered When Deciding Whether to Vary, Sept. 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Revocation/Modification of Probation, etc., Statement of Reasons, Sentence, Factors To Be Considered.
- Relevant Conduct: How Federal Sentencing Law Punishes More Than the Crime of Conviction, Aug. 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Plain Error, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts, Relevant Conduct.
- California Supreme Court Limits Money Bail for Nonviolent Charges, July 1, 2026. Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Due Process, Constitutional Challenges/Law, Pretrial Detention and Detainees.
- Oregon Supreme Court: Jail Credit Statute Focuses Upon Legal Custody Not Physical Custody Location, July 1, 2026. Civil Procedure, Sentencing, Appeals/Appellate Jurisdiction, Criminal Justice, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- Louisiana’s Atavistic Approach to Criminal Sentencing and Parole Demonstrates Politicians’ Failure to Learn from Past Mistakes, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, Sentencing, Parole, Prisoners' Rights.
- California Appeals Court Sustains Amendments to CDCR that Narrow Youth Parole Eligibility Rules, July 1, 2026. Parole, Equal Protection Clause/Claims, Juvenile Offenses/Offenders, Credits, Prison Regulations.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission: 2026 Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, June 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Alternative Sentencing, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Multiple/Multiplicious Counts, Drug Quantity.
- Two More Guards Face Prison Time for Messiah Nantwi Killing, June 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Sentencing, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Plea Agreements/Guilty Pleas.
- Sixth Circuit Rules Prisoner Held After Parole Board Ordered Release on Parole Could Not State a Rights Violation Claim, June 1, 2026. Parole, Overdetention, Qualified Immunity, Fourteenth Amendment, rights, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights.
- First Circuit Vacates Drug Courier’s Sentence, Holding District Court Erred by Failing to Conduct Proper Comparative Culpability Analysis Under § 3B1.2 When It Excluded Other Participants in Drug Shipment From Universe of Comparators, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Appellate Jurisdiction/Review, Sentencing Findings, Relevant Conduct.

