Attorney General Jeff Sessions Issues Memorandum for New Sentencing Guidelines

Attorney General Jeff Sessions late Thursday issued a memorandum establishing new charging and sentencing policies for the Department of Justice. The new guidelines represent a clear reversal from the previous administration, and was sent to all 92 U.S. Attorneys.

“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,” Attorney General Sessions wrote in the memorandum. “It is of the utmost importance to enforce the law fairly and consistently.”

The Justice Department said the new policy was put together after “extensive consultation” with Assistant U.S. Attorneys at both the trial and appellate level, as well as U.S. Attorneys and Main Justice Attorneys. Attorney General Sessions charged Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein with overseeing the implementation of the policy, which essentially instructs prosecutors to charge accused offenders with the most serious charge in the particular case.

“First, it is a core principle that prosecutors should charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense. This policy affirms our responsibility to enforce the law, is moral and just, and produces consistency,” he wrote. “This policy fully utilizes the tools Congress has given us. By definition, the most serious offenses are those that carry the most substantial guidelines sentence, including mandatory minimum sentences.”

The DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs said Attorney General Sessions will issue further remarks on the new policy later this morning.

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