feeling the effects of to this day: mandatory minimum sentencing. Mandatory minimum sentencing is a procedure in which a judge must sentence a citizen convicted to a minimum amount of years in prison for a crime regardless of circumstance. Because of this‚ the amount of prisoners in federal prison has skyrocketed from “only about 25‚000” inmates in the 80s to “more than 215‚000” as of 2014 (Miles). As a direct result of minimum sentencing‚ according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission‚ at least 50% of those
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Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Many people are victims of a crime‚ or they’re the ones committing the crime. Some of these crimes that have been committed are sentenced as Mandatory Minimum Sentencing. Mandatory Minimum sentencing is when a person convicts a crime‚ and must be in prison for a minimum term‚ the days of punishment is up to the judges to decide. In this occasion the kind of crime that they commit depends on the amount of time the assailant will serve. What does the world have to offer
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to effectively use policies like mandatory minimum sentences‚ because not every crime is the same. It is acceptable for their to be some disparity in sentencing for similar crimes‚ but there still needs to be some consistency. The initiation of mandatory minimum sentences was due in large part to the fact that judges had too much discretion and it led to many similar cases having wildly different sentences.1 There was sound reasoning for enacting mandatory minimum sentences‚ but they “are the product
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reasons our prison systems have a problem with overcrowding is drugs. More specifically‚ the "war on drugs" started by President Reagan in 1982 brought a dramatic increase to the number of people put behind bars for drug offences. Mandatory minimum sentencing and truth in sentencing are two policies which have sent drug offenders to prison and kept them there for longer periods of time. The continuing crusade against drugs has apprehended hundreds of thousands of suspects who spend millions on drugs but
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faster than other offense types‚ the underlying behavior appears to have experienced little impact. Due to todays new consciousness about the unfairness and effectiveness of harsh crack cocaine mandatory sentences has emerged among policy makers and the United States Sentencing Commission. These unfair sentencing laws‚ have a dramatic effect on the cause of overcrowding in prisons for decades.
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Running Head: The War on Drugs The War on Drugs and Sentencing Disparities Social Policy Analysis Paper Janet Gaines Hood College Introduction This paper will examine the history of the “War on Drugs” and the racial and sentencing disparities that have resulted because of it. In the House of Representatives a new bill was introduced on January 7‚ 2009. Policy number H.R.265‚ was cited as “Drug Sentencing reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act of 2009. The never ending drug
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the United States. As per‚ Issues and Controversies‚ “The United States has only 5 percent of the world’s population‚ but holds 25 percent of the world’s prisoners”. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Housing the growing prison population is putting a strain on the federal government’s budget‚ costing roughly $80 billion a year. (“Mandatory Minimum”) Crime rates are down‚ but prison populations are a growing concern. In light of these facts‚ lawmakers need to explore ways of reducing crime that does not involve
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controversial ballot initiative. Proposition 184‚ also known as the three strikes and you ’re out law‚ was passed on November 9‚ 1994. Under this new legislation repeat offenders‚ upon committing their third felony offense‚ will be sentenced to a mandatory twenty-five years to life in prison(California 667). The initiative passed by a landslide‚ with 76% of the voters in favor of it. The State Senate soon after voted the bill into law‚ with only seven members voting against it. The three strikes
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Racial Disparities in America’s Judicial System The mandatory imprisonment policies written for the judicial system are creating disparity of minority inmate population primarily due to non-violent drug crimes and the unjust mandatory minimum sentencing laws. America’s prisons are the most populated in the world‚ and they are disproportionately populated by minorities due to the set of mandatory imprisonment policies set in place. Over the past five decades‚ the disparity between races has widened
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author discusses the collective impact of justice involvement on communities of color and how recent social movements are challenging the issue of mass incarceration. Nicole D. Porter’s background includes managing The Sentencing Project’s state and local advocacy efforts on sentencing reform‚ voting rights‚ and eliminating racial disparities in the criminal justice system. The article stresses that the purpose of the movement is not to ignore or excuse criminal offences‚ but rather offers a new view
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