Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Examples

Mandatory minimum sentence is a law that is one of the most popular. A crime that is committed and the recourse is mandatory minimum sentence the judge is not permitted to give a shorter sentence, even if the facts in the case would in some cases cause for a lesser sentence. “Judges are required to sentence any person convicted of one of these crimes to at least the mandatory term, regardless of the particular circumstances of the crime or the defendant’s criminal history” (Davis, A.J., 2016). But on the flip side, the judge is allowed ot give a longer or harsher sentence if the situation calls for one. An example of mandatory minimum sentencing regarding federal drug laws depends on how much of the substance the person is caught with. Another

form of mandatory minimum sentencing is three strikes law. Under this law a person who has two prior felony convictions automatically will get the minimum sentence. The sentence can be a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Mandatory sentencing is not effective in lowering drug related crimes. Because even though some dealers are taken off the streets it does not mean the problem is eliminated. Just because some are removed from the streets, that does not stop the sales. A drug dealer who has been taken off the streets, are always replaced with another supplier. The reason mandatory minimum sentencing is to make committing a crime less favorable. This may work for some, but not all. Mandatory minimum sentences, they are not bias, all who commit the same crime or one similar will get the same punishment. Con is that it usually targets minorities. Most times in drug trafficking African Americans are sentence and give more time than other races. “Mandatory minimum sentence…filled our prisons with minor player such as drug abusers, rather than the major drug trafficker” (Levinthal, C.F., 2012).