WASHINGTON, D.C. — Right On Crime, a conservative criminal justice campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, submitted formal recommendations to the U.S. Sentencing Commission as part of the Commission’s amendment cycle ending May 1, 2026. The comments urge the Commission to adopt targeted, evidence-based sentencing reforms that strengthen public safety, reduce recidivism, and ensure punishment is proportional, effective, and rooted in accountability.

Right On Crime’s recommendations address key areas of federal sentencing policy, including outdated drug sentencing practices and the need to better recognize meaningful rehabilitation efforts before sentencing.

“Strong communities depend on sentencing policies that are firm, fair, and rooted in evidence,” said Brett Tolman, Executive Director for Right On Crime and former U.S. Attorney. “These recommendations ensure judges have the discretion to impose penalties that prioritize public safety while encouraging real accountability.”

“Outdated sentencing rules, especially those that rely on arbitrary drug purity standards, no longer reflect how crime actually occurs,” said Rachel Wright, National Policy Director for Right On Crime. “Precision and proportionality are essential to a justice system that works.”

Key Recommendations Include:

1. Modernizing Drug Sentencing to Reflect Today’s Drug Market
Right On Crime urges the Commission to eliminate the outdated use of drug purity for methamphetamine as a proxy for culpability. With most methamphetamine now uniformly highly pure and sourced from international trafficking organizations, purity distinctions no longer reflect an offender’s role or intent.

  • Eliminate remaining “ice” distinctions and apply a uniform mixture-based standard for methamphetamine cases.
  • Shift toward conduct-based sentencing factors that better reflect individual culpability.
  • Adopt the Commission’s proposal that   balances quantity with conduct-based considerations.

2. Fentanyl Sentencing: Serious, Targeted, and Measured
Right On Crime supports aligning the Guidelines with Congress’s permanent scheduling of fentanyl-related substances while cautioning against premature or overly broad sentencing enhancements.

  • Encourage judicial discretion to account for a defendant’s role, intent, and evolving scientific understanding of fentanyl analogues.
  • Allow time to evaluate the impact of recent fentanyl-related guideline amendments before adding additional enhancements that may unintentionally capture low-level offenders.

3. Incentivizing Post-Offense Rehabilitation
Right On Crime strongly supports the Commission’s proposed post-offense rehabilitation adjustment, which would recognize and reward an offender for his meaningful efforts toward treatment, restitution, education, and employment made before sentencing.

  • Incentivizing rehabilitation is consistent with conservative principles of accountability and fiscal responsibility.
  • Rewarding sustained positive behavior reduces recidivism and improves long-term public safety outcomes.

Right On Crime’s recommendations reflect a commitment to results-driven criminal justice policy—grounded in data, accountability, and public safety. The organization looks forward to continued collaboration with the U.S. Sentencing Commission to ensure federal sentencing policy remains fair, effective, and consistent with American values.

Right On Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation supporting conservative solutions for fewer victims, less crime, and safer communities. Founded in Texas in 2007 and launched nationally in 2010, Right On Crime leads the way in advancing criminal justice policies that are just, effective, and fiscally responsible. For more information, visit www.RightOnCrime.com.