BF2S Forums Congress may toughen federal sentencing rules

Every year, federal judges sentence more than 80,000 criminals. Those punishments are supposed to be fair — and predictable. But seven years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court threw a wrench into the system by ruling that the guidelines that judges use to figure out a prison sentence are only suggestions.

Republicans in Congress say that has led to a lot of bad results. They're calling for an overhaul of the sentencing system, with tough new mandatory prison terms to bring some order back into the process. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, brought up the subject at a recent hearing.

Still, it is the length of sentences that truly distinguishes American prison policy. Indeed, the mere number of sentences imposed here would not place the United States at the top of the incarceration lists. If lists were compiled based on annual admissions to prison per capita, several European countries would outpace the United States. But American prison stays are much longer, so the total incarceration rate is higher.

Burglars in the United States serve an average of 16 months in prison, according to Mauer, compared with 5 months in Canada and 7 months in England.

Two Phoenix brothers have been given long federal prison sentences after pleading guilty to possession of methamphetamine for distribution.

Prosecutors said Monday that 49-year-old Franicsco Gomez-Cazares was sentenced to 210 months in prison and 35-year-old Victor Gomez-Cazares got a 188-month term.

The brothers pleaded guilty last May to possession of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine with intent to sell.

They were accused of being involved in a trafficking organization that stretched from Mexico through Arizona and on into the rest of the United States.