Since I joined this blog roughly a month ago, I have been trying to figure out a way to link my love for baseball, and the Kansas City Royals, to a relevant topic regarding criminal defense. Well, today I found it. Willie Aikens, a key member of the 1980 Kansas City Royals (who beat the Yankees to go to the World Series), is to be released from federal prison today. Here is espn’s story on Aikens’ release. Here is an article from the KC Star.
Aikens was one of the tens of thousands of criminal defendants sentenced under the federal guidelines to a disproportionately high sentence for crack cocaine (when compared to powder cocaine). On November 1, 2007, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reduced the sentencing ranges for crack cocaine offenses by two levels, and made the changes retroactive. Here and here are blog posts from Kansas Federal Defender on the retroactive changes to federal crack sentences (and what to do if you have one of these clients).
Aikens’ case was important because it was a vehicle for explaining the crack-powder sentencing disparity to the general public. It also reminds me that change can be effected by shining light on the inequities of the criminal justice system.
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