Attorney General addresses sentencing policy.

"There is no tension between a sentencing scheme that is effective and fair and one that is tough and equitable," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in remarks for the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice and Congressional Black Caucus Symposium "Rethinking Federal Sentencing Policy 25th Anniversary of the Sentencing Reform Act." According to Holder, the Department of Justice has begun an internal review of sentencing and corrections policy that will consider:

* The structure of federal sentencing, including the role of mandatory minimums;

* DOJ's own charging and sentencing policies;

* Alternatives to incarceration and reentry;

* Eliminating the sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine; and

* An examination of other unwarranted disparities in federal sentencing.

In addition, Holder said the U.S. Sentencing Commission has begun a review of the impact of United States v. Booker, which ruled that the Sixth Amendment required a jury to decide, beyond a reasonable doubt, any fact that increased the sentence of a defendant in a federal criminal case over the high end of the range provided by the federal sentencing guidelines.

In closing, Holder said that U.S. sentencing policy can no longer afford to focus on punishment alone. "The federal system must also embrace the president's commitment to reducing recidivism and providing opportunities to offenders to become contributing members of society at the conclusion of their sentence."