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The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994: 25 Years Later, Where Do We Stand?
Loaded on Oct. 1, 2020
by Dale Chappell
published in Prison Legal News
October, 2020, page 48
Filed under:
U.S. Sentencing Guidelines,
Crimes of Violence/Violent Felony.
Location:
United States of America.
by Dale Chappell
Every state spends more money on prisons than on schools, according to PolitiFact. But you can’t blame the states — the federal government made them do it.
Some 25 years ago, President Bill Clinton signed into law the biggest incendiary device that lit the …
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More from this issue:
- The Toughest Love, by Julia Lurie
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $400,000 Settlement in Lawsuit over Kentucky Prisoner’s Starvation Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Why Did 77 Ohio Prisoners Die of COVID-19, but Just 10 in Pennsylvania?, by Cid Standifer, Brie Zeltner
- New York Jail Accused of Discrimination by Female Prisoners, by Kevin Bliss
- BOP Inspector General Rips State for Failure to Control COVID-19 at Lompoc in California, by Derek Gilna
- Dark Web Creator Petitions President Trump for Clemency, by Edward Lyon
- Prison Postcard: Life in the Time of COVID, Correctional Center, Virginia, by Daniel A. Rosen
- Growing Need to Protect Attorney-Client Emails, by Jayson Hawkins
- GEO Group and CoreCivic Lose Critical Financial Support, by Keith Sanders
- New York Governor Cuomo Creates Prison Nursing Home During Pandemic, by Anthony Accurso
- Danish Funds Invest In American Private Prisons, by David Reutter
- $12.5 Million Settlement for Oklahoma Prisoner’s In-Custody Death Riled Sheriff’s Race, by Kevin Bliss
- Philadelphia Jails to Release Prisoners Earlier in the Day, by Bill Barton
- Michigan Settles Sex Abuse Claims by 1,300 Former Juvenile Offenders Housed With Adults for $80 Million, by David Reutter
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Reverses “Dangerousness” Finding in Involuntary Commitment of Schizophrenic Man, by David Reutter
- Report: New Jersey Women’s Prison Promoted Culture of Abuse, by Kevin Bliss
- Missouri Downsizing Prisons to Save Cash, by Bill Barton
- Trump v. Biden on Criminal Justice, by Christopher Zoukis, Charles Sloan-Hillier
- Alaska Supreme Court Upholds Dismissal of Delusional Prisoner’s Medical Malpractice Claim, by Dale Chappell
- DC Federal Court Enters Partial Preliminary Injunction Against District Jails For COVID-19 Deficiencies, by Derek Gilna
- $300,000 a Year Not Enough to Convince Psychiatrists to Work in California Prisons, by Dale Chappell
- Poetry for the Prisoners’ Soul, by Edward Lyon
- Damage to South Carolina Prisons Shifts Prisoners to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, by Derek Gilna
- Offensive Facebook Posts Cost Wisconsin Warden His Job, by Kevin Bliss
- Mother of Decapitated Prisoner Sues California Prison Officials for Housing Her Son with Prisoner Who Tried to Murder Previous Cellmate, by Matthew Clarke
- More Than Half of Chicago’s COVID-19 Cases Linked to Cook County Jail, by Dale Chappell
- Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Unconstitutional Statute Authorizing Forcible Medication of Involuntarily Committed Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Wildfires Threaten Prisoners in West, While New California Law Helps Prisoner-Firefighters to Continue Work After Release, by Dale Chappell
- National Guard Called in to Help Run Indiana State Prisons, by Dale Chappell
- Eleventh Circuit Reinstates Pay-To-Vote for Florida Felons Who Completed Sentences, by David Reutter
- Ford Foundation President’s Support to Replace Rikers With Other Jails Criticized, by Chad Marks
- The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994: 25 Years Later, Where Do We Stand?, by Dale Chappell
- California Judge Reconsiders Six Months’ Jail for Cookie Theft at Rehab Program, by Anthony Accurso
- How Kamala Harris’ Orange County, California “Snitch” Scandal Investigation Imploded, by Derek Gilna
- Conditions at South Carolina Juvenile Facility Unconstitutional, by David Reutter
- $420,000 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Opioid Withdrawal Death in Georgia Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- First Wrongful Death Claim Against San Quentin Prison Filed Over COVID-19 Death, by Dale Chappell
- Lawsuit Over Hellish 9-Day Prisoner Transport Reinstated, by David Reutter
- Theft, Lies and Bribes Force California Warden’s Early Retirement, $11,500 Monthly Pension, by Mark Wilson
- Seventh Circuit Protects Guards Who Allegedly Failed to Protect Wisconsin Prisoner, by David Reutter
- Bloomberg Allies Make $20 Million Push to Help Enfranchise 30,000 Florida Ex-Felons, by Derek Gilna
- Mental Health and Prison Systems in Major Need of Reform, by Kevin Bliss
- NYC Floating Jail May Finally be Closed, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fourth Circuit Holds South Carolina DOC Lawyers Entitled to Qualified Immunity, by David Reutter
- New Study Shows “Tough on Crime” Generation Spent More Time in Prison Despite Falling Crime Rate, by Dale Chappell
- Beltway Sniper Marries in Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Lawsuit Over Texas Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Matthew Clarke
- Prisoners Evacuated but ICE Detainees in Louisiana Suffer During Hurricane Laura, by Edward Lyon
- Fifth Circuit Upholds Dismissal of Texas Jail Suicide Lawsuit, Holds Discrimination Not Proven, by Matthew Clarke
- News in Brief
More from Dale Chappell:
- Arguing Successful Federal Habeas Corpus Claims, June 1, 2025
- How to Take Your Postconviction Case Directly to the U.S. Supreme Court: A Roadmap to Direct Collateral Review, March 15, 2025
- Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: Proving Unreasonableness Under AEDPA, Feb. 1, 2025
- Federal Court Rules Michigan’s Sex Offender Registration Laws Violate Constitution, Dec. 1, 2024
- Refuting the Government’s Argument Against Nonretroactive Changes in Law as Grounds for Compassionate Release, Oct. 1, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Getting Around Procedural Default, July 15, 2024
- The Death of the Savings Clause, May 15, 2024
- Federal Habeas Corpus: Understanding Second or Successive Petitions for State Prisoners, April 15, 2024
- Fourth Circuit Reinstates Relief From Death Penalty, Citing State’s Forfeiture of Argument Against Relief, May 15, 2023
- Federal Habeas Corpus: The Evidentiary Hearing for Federal Prisoners, April 15, 2023
More from these topics:
- U.S. Sentencing Commission: 2026 Amendments to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, June 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Alternative Sentencing, Sentence Enhancements/Departures, Multiple/Multiplicious Counts, Drug Quantity.
- First Circuit Vacates Drug Courier’s Sentence, Holding District Court Erred by Failing to Conduct Proper Comparative Culpability Analysis Under § 3B1.2 When It Excluded Other Participants in Drug Shipment From Universe of Comparators, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Appellate Jurisdiction/Review, Sentencing Findings, Relevant Conduct.
- Sixth Circuit Announces Federal Coercion and Enticement Statute Requires Knowledge of Victim’s Minor Status, Deepening Circuit Split, May 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Sentence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
- Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, April 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Qualifying Offenses, Mandatory Minimum Sentence, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Child Pornography.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Report Breaks Down Federal Contraband Sentences, March 1, 2026. Guard Misconduct, Mechanical Searches/Scanners, Statistics/Trends, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Acquitted Conduct Sentencing: Not Guilty – But Punished Anyway, March 1, 2026. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Federal Legislation, Fifth Amendment, Sixth Amendment, Acquitted Conduct/Uncharged Crimes/Dismissed Counts.
- First Circuit Clarifies Mitigating Role Analysis – Sentencing Courts Must Consider All Identifiable Participants in Drug Shipment, Not Just Crew Members, and Use § 3B1.2 Factors to Assess Relative Culpability, Not Guilt, Dec. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Mitigating Role/Circumstances/Evidence, Miscalculation of the Guidelines Sentencing Range.
- Third Circuit Announces “Commencement of the Instant Offense” in Guidelines § 4A1.2(e) Unambiguously Refers Only to Specific Offense of Conviction, Not Relevant Conduct, Nov. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, Prior Conviction/Sentence/Incarceration, Adequacy of Criminal History Category, Statutory Construction/Interpretation.
- Indiana Supreme Court Announces Whether Defendant’s Actions Were “Objectively Reasonable” Justifying Self-Defense Can Be Considered in Hindsight, Sept. 15, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Criminal Procedure, Appealable Issues/Orders.
- U.S. Sentencing Commission Adopts 2025 Amendments to Resolve Circuit Conflicts, Aug. 1, 2025. U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, Criminal History, Arrest/Arraignment, Sentence Enhancements/Departures.