Mandatory Minimums: A National Injustice

Mandatory Minimums: A National Injustice

Mandatory minimum drug sentencing is legislation passed by Congress in

1986 to create harsher punishments for drug offenders. These laws were

created at a time when drug use was beginning to rise dramatically.

This type of sentencing was meant to impose harsh, excessive sentences

on any type of drug offense, despite other circumstances. While these

laws seem good in theory, they were not well thought out. The creators

and supporters did not consider the negative consequences of these

strict laws. The injustices of federal mandatory minimum sentences

have been present for years in the United States justice system. These

laws are costly, unjust and excessive in our society.

First, the most obvious effect of mandatory minimums is what it costs

our nation financially. The sentences of drug offenders are now

extremely long, and keeping large numbers of people in jail for long

amounts of time is very costly. The U.S. taxpayers are the ones

suffering because they are the ones that are forced to pay for these

increasing costs.

The cost of keeping just one person in prison is incredible. The cost

of imprisoning just one person is on average 23,000 dollars per year.

It is less expensive to put someone through college for four years

than it is to incarcerate someone for four years. The amount of U.S.

tax dollars going towards prison costs is growing faster than all

other federal funding. Everyday 4.14 million dollars of U.S. taxpayer

money goes towards federal prisons and 1.51 billion dollars annually

(Cruel). These costs are continually and dramatically increasing. From

1986, when mandatory minim...

... middle of paper ...

...adator.htm>.

Easterbrook, Gregg. “Run On Sentencing.” New Republic 220.17 (1999):

57.

Greider, William. “Mandatory Minimums: A National Disgrace.” Rolling

Stone 784

(1998): 42.

Marks, Alexandra. “Cost Concerns Drive States to Ease Tough Sentences

for Some Drug

Offenders.” Christian Science Monitor 89.113 (1997): 1.

Risley, David. “Mandatory Minimum Sentences: An Overview.” May 2000.

Drug Watch

International. 27 Feb. 2005.

.

“Study: Mandatory Minimum Drug Sentencing Don’t Work.” 12 May 1997.

CNN.

14 March 2005. .

Williams, Pete. “Justice Anthony M. Kennedy: End Minimum Sentences.” 9

Aug. 2003.

MSNBC.com. 27 Feb. 2003. .