The U.S. Sentencing Commission, an independent judicial agency created by the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, promulgates sentencing guidelines in federal criminal cases and aggregates data about federal sentences. Recently appointed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s service on the commission garnered much attention during her recent confirmation hearings. Though the commission is a virtual shell now, with only one out of seven voting positions filled (it requires a quorum of at least four members to take any formal action), its staff continues to provide valuable data about drugs, firearms, and immigration that help explain current crime trends.
The commission’s recently issued 2021 annual report, for instance, identifies drug cases as the largest group of federal cases for 2021. Methamphetamine prosecutions account for almost half of those cases. Though the threat of opioids and heroin remains high, methamphetamine presents a different kind of menace. Heroin is a central nervous system depressant; addicts use it and nod off. Methamphetamine, particularly crystal meth, is an explosive and addictive stimulant. Users smoke, inject, or snort meth, then act out in violent and unpredictable ways.
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