"Will elections lead to sentencing reform?"

The title of this post is the title of this FAMM e-gram authored by FAMM President Julie Stewart, which starts this way:

How late were you up watching election returns last night? After a campaign season that seemed to last forever, I am relieved that it is behind us. I am also hopeful that the results of this election can lead to meaningful sentencing reform in Congress and in many states.

Of course, we don’t know exactly what to expect from the incoming Obama administration, but we think the tide in Washington and elsewhere is beginning to turn in our favor. More and more leaders are taking stands in favor of individualized justice and against the ineffective approach of one-size-fits-all sentencing.

FAMM will be contacting the transition team tasked with setting up the new Obama administration in hopes of making sentencing reform a national priority.

I must say that, though I am not very optimistic about sentencing reform becoming a national priority at the very start of the new Obama administration, I am very hopeful that various election day outcomes (such as this one) suggest we could be on verge of a new changed era concerning federal sentencing law and policy.