Sessions expected to toughen policy for prosecuting drug crimes: report

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to return to a tougher federal charging policy for drug-related crimes after repeatedly calling for a harder-hitting, law-and-order approach, according to a Tuesday New York Times report.

Sessions’s new policy is expected to be released shortly, current and former government officials told the news outlet.

It would replace the policy former Attorney General Eric Holder initiated in 2010.

{mosads}The Times noted that Holder encouraged federal prosecutors not to seek the most serious criminal charges in each case and to use their discretion, especially if the charges included mandatory minimum penalties. The Obama administration’s support for flexible and lenient sentencing laws led to a rare drop in the federal prison population.

“As the attorney general has consistently said, we are reviewing all Department of Justice policies to focus on keeping Americans safe and will be issuing further guidance and support to our prosecutors executing this priority — including an updated memorandum on charging for all criminal cases,” Ian Prior, a Justice Department spokesman, told the Times.

Sessions has called for a return to tougher federal charging policies repeatedly in speeches, and his memos have notified prosecutors to expect policy changes.

Sessions served as a young prosecutor in Alabama before becoming a Republican senator in the state, overseeing crime cases associated with the crack epidemic.