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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Research Paper

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Abolishing Mandatory Minimum Sentences Mandatory minimum sentences for a variety of crimes became popular in the 1980s and have progressed since then. Approaches to the idea have differed, but the bottom line has remained the same: punish the criminals who commit certain crimes and ensure they remain in prison for a specified amount of time. Though these laws are logical, mandatory minimum sentencing, in all its forms, does not effectively reduce crime.
Statement of Problem: Mandatory minimum sentencing is an obsolete and ineffective crime control policy that needs to be replaced. There are several reasons that these laws need to be repealed. The first of these is that the discretion is taken away from the judge and given to the prosecutor. …show more content…
In 1984, they passed a law that established a mandatory minimum sentence for using a firearm while committing a crime of violence. This law was later amended in 1994 to become more detailed and harsh (United States Sentencing Commission, 2011, p. 25). Congress went on to pass the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. This established the guidelines for the mandatory minimum sentences for drug trafficking that the United States Federal Government uses today. The passing of this act was expedited through Congress because there was an excessive amount of public concern surrounding drug use and trafficking (United States Sentencing Commission, 2011, p. …show more content…
There are several laws on the book dating back as far as 1797, but are rarely used. The first major minimum sentencing law enacted by a state during the modern era was the 1973 New York Rockefeller Drug Law. This was considered the nation’s toughest drug law and had minimum sentences that were unheard-of in that era. It also had a clause that prevented plea bargaining. Evaluations of the law found that there was no significant effect on crime or drug use and that it was often avoided by the courtroom work group. The law was eventually reformed (Walker, 2015, pp. 177-178). After the Rockefeller Drug Law, states started implementing three-strike laws. The first of these was in Washington in 1993. This was followed by California and Georgia in 1994. All of these laws differ depending on the state. By 1994, all fifty states had some sort of mandatory minimum sentencing law on the books (Walker, 2015, pp. 176,

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