Pros And Cons Of Mandatory Minimum Sentences - 1008 Words

Mandatory minimum sentences are court decisions where judicial discretion is limited by law. Usually when people are convicted of certain crimes they must be punished with at least a minimum number of years in prison. The article I picked to review is an article on mandatory minimum sentences. The article reviews the pros and cons of mandatory sentencing. I will go over the pros and cons described in the article and give my opinion on how I feel about them. Staring with the pros of mandatory minimum sentences, the first pro is that mandatory minimum sentences discourage people from committing crimes. In the United States reportedly experienced a drop in crime when many of the mandatory sentencing laws were put into place in the†¦show more content†¦I look at the example of a single mother who has gotten caught up with the wrong people and has committed a crime that falls under mandatory sentencing. Juries can easily be manipulated by the defendant’s lawyer into feeling sorry for this woman who has committed a crime. With mandatory sentencing the juries do not have to take into account the single mother’s hardships that sentencing may cause (8 Pros and Cons of Mandatory Minimum Sentences). There are also cons of mandatory sentencing. One con is that mandatory sentencing can be unfair. Mandatory minimum sentences have no choice but award the same minimum punishment to everyone who commits the same crime regardless of the individual’s situation or circumstances. For example a criminal with a very lengthy criminal record and a first time offender will both get the same amount of time. Another con is that mandatory sentencing can lead to overcrowding in prisons. With mandatory minimum sentencing people will go to jail even if it is their first offense. As a result of this people who should have possibly got lighter sentences or maybe sentencing that did not involve jail time, like probation, will end up in jail and this cau ses overcrowding. Overcrowding can then cause even more problems to the prisoner’s health, safety, and security. An increased prison population leads to more expenses and theseShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Sentencing in the Justice System630 Words   |  3 Pagespredispose the price an offender has to pay for the crime committed. There are many pros and cons for the many different types of sentencing we use in the criminal justice system. Their are some extremely harsh sentencing we also have some that are very sympathetic. The topics I will be discussing more in depth are, Mandatory minimum, Indeterminate sentencing, and Truth in sentencing. Mandatory minimum sentencing, are among the most contentious of sentencing plans because they establishRead MoreClassical Perspective And Mandatory Sentencing Act837 Words   |  4 PagesClassical Perspective and Mandatory Sentencing Act The classical perspective founded by Cesare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham; stated that at people choose to commit crime after they considered the pros and cons that could be associated with a crime, and believed that the pros outweighed the cons (Tonry,2014). The theory relied on deterring criminal acts by assuring that the consequences of crime are absolute, harsh, and quickly administered (Tonry,2014). Mandatory Sentencing Act Today, more thanRead MoreCriminal Justice Outline1660 Words   |  7 PagesDeterminate- pros and cons b. Indeterminate- pros and cons c. Mandatory- pros and cons d. Specific or general deterrence Determinate sentencing a. Time- Each punishment is set person to person regardless b. Punishment- does not discriminate c. 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The law gives a list of about 21 crimes that, if committed by a person, come with a set amount of time that must be served day for day by the offender, without any chance of good-time, work-time, or the possibility of a second look. Applying to ages 15 and up, this law takes the power out of the judge’s hands when it comes to sentencing someone, and forces the judge to give a mandatory minimumRead MoreThe Fair Sentencing Act For Mandatory Minimum Sentences953 Words   |  4 Pages#1 Three salient points from the films/lectures were assessments of change from the five stages of change model (Norcross, j. c., n.d.), the Fair Sentencing Act for mandatory minimum sentences (American Civil Liberties Union, 2010), and eliminating government involvement in regulation of drugs and alcohol substance, while allowing the various states to manage control (ABC News.com, 2007). The first salient point was based on Norcross (n.d.) explaining that finding out and recognizing where the consumerRead MorePrison Reform Is Not The Best Option For Punishing Criminals Essay921 Words   |  4 Pagesprison are mandatory minimum sentencing laws. C. Mandatory minimum sentencing laws are a harsh set of laws that are enforced through the justice system. They set a minimum punishment for crimes where the judge cannot lower the sentence length for any reason. This takes away discretion from the judge and causes the criminal justice system to be harsher when it comes to sentencing (Kearney 9). 1. Although mandatory minimum sentencing laws make it so the justice system can avoid sentence disparityRead MoreEssay on Mandatory Minimum Sentencing1955 Words   |  8 PagesEach year in America many people received prison sentences for crimes that pose little if any danger or harm to our society. Mandatory Minimum Sentencing in the American Justice System has long been argued by both Lawmakers and the public. We will go over some of the history of mandatory minimum sentences as well as the many pros and cons to these types of sentences. Some examples of pros and cons are the overall effect on public safety, the effect on the offenders, the cost to taxpayers, theRead MoreKaplan Unit 3 Paper1504 Words   |  7 PagesSome pros about indeterminate sentencing are mandatory minimum sentences and keeping offenders off the streets. A con of intermediate sentencing is the sentencing of non-violent offenders to unjustly harsh prison terms where they crowd prisons that are already full . Determinate sentencing is when the mandatory minimum sentence is enhanced for certain crimes. Sentencing guidelines allow judges to consider the individual circumstances of the case when determining sentencing. Mandatory minimum sentencesRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Modern Prisons1261 Words   |  6 Pagesthere will be mass destruction, and small problems that people have with prisons can be fixed and dealt with. Here are some of the problems that people have with prisons. Population. The rising population of prisoners in the United States alone is a con for prisons. There are just simply too many people. According to the Sentencing Project, the United States has 2.2 million criminals in its prisons and jails. That is a 500% increase over the last 40 years. â€Å"Changes in law and policy, not changes in