Rutherford v. United States · ¶17

At this point, some background on the compassionate release provision is helpful. This provision, which was part of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984, allows a district court to reduce a prison term “after considering the factors set forth in section 3553(a) to the extent that they are applicable” if the court finds that “extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant such a reduction” and that “such a reduction is consistent with applicable policy statements issued by the Sentencing Commission.” 18 U. S. C. § 3582(c)(1)(A). Congress did not specify what “extraordinary and compelling” reasons might warrant compassionate release. It did, however, authorize the Commission to promulgate policy statements that “describe what should be considered extraordinary and compelling reasons for sentence reduction, including the criteria to be applied and a list of specific examples.” 28 U. S. C. §…

preliminary print (page proof)
Source edition
Passage preview. Read in context for the complete text, notes and references.