More than 3,000 crack cocaine convicts have had their prison sentences cut since the federal government eased harsh penalties for drug crimes overwhelmingly committed by blacks.

A U.S. Sentencing Commission study released Thursday says it is not immediately clear how many offenders have actually been released from custody after having their sentences reduced.

In all, 3,647 crack offenders so far have applied for early prison release since March 3, when new federal sentencing guidelines were enacted.

Among the study's findings:

_Federal judges nationwide have agreed to reduce prison sentences for 3,075 inmates.

_Of 572 people who were denied, only 171 of them were eligible for the sentence reduction in the first place.

_Eighty-four percent of those who were given less prison time are black, bolstering the Sentencing Commission's case that the former guidelines created a racial disparity in the way cocaine offenders were penalized.

_Weapons were involved in the crime for more than 21 percent of offenders who got sentence reductions.

_Judges in the Fourth Circuit _ encompassing federal courts in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina _ saw the bulk of the cases. There, 689 of 837 people who applied for early release got it.

In December, over the objections of the Justice Department, the commission voted to ease the way courts meted out penalties for drug crimes to rectify disparities in the way judges have treated crack-related crimes versus those involving powdered cocaine. Four of every five crack defendants are black, while most powder cocaine convictions involve whites.

The new sentencing guidelines, which took effect last month, allowed nearly 20,000 crack cocaine convicts to seek retroactive reductions in their prison time. About 1,600 federal inmates were eligible for immediate release.

Seeking to minimize the early releases, the Justice Department unsuccessfully asked Congress to cut sentences only for first-time, nonviolent offenders. Prosecutors fear the new sentencing guidelines will result in the release thousands of violent criminals to prowl neighborhoods.

The report issued Thursday shows that 30 percent of crack offenders who got reduced sentences were small-time or first-time criminal, more than any other group. Nine percent of so-called Category 6 offenders, usually violent or career criminals, saw their prison time shortened.

The commission's report looked at applications in 79 federal court districts between March 3 and April 14. It offered no conclusions or commentary about its findings.

The findings will be updated every four to five weeks, a commission official said.

Source: Associated Press