A reduction in federal prison sentences for crack cocaine could let an estimated 12,000 inmates go free early

The changes reduce federal penalties for more addictive crack cocaine to bring them more in line with those for powdered cocaine. The sentencing disparity had long been criticized as racially discriminatory because it disproportionately affected black defendants. Up to 1,800 inmates are immediately eligible to go free and prison officials are processing a growing number of release orders, said Chris Burke, a spokesman for the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons. Barack Obama signed the sentencing changes into law in 2010.