The Fair Sentencing Act For Mandatory Minimum Sentences

#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 consumer thinks he/she is within the process of change. Asking questions of intention, where do they see themselves, and drawing a working model to show them their actuate stage of change (Norcross, j. c., n.d.). The second salient point was based on the Fair Sentencing Act for mandatory minimum sentences. Over two decades ago people were given longer jail/prison sentences because the belief was that crack cocaine was more harmful to people and community than powder cocaine. These â€Å"disparity fell disproportionately† on minorities, especially black people. Furthermore, with the aid of â€Å"both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama urging reform,† finally a new law that reduces mandatory minimums is active (American Civil Liberties Union, 2010, para 4). The third salient point is based on eliminating government involvement in substance issues at the state level. Ron Paul expressed that he would â€Å"Allow states to deal with such problems.† If states were to manage control over drugs andShow MoreRelatedThe Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws1613 Words   |  7 PagesCurrent mandatory minimum sentencing laws are in dire need of reform. A mandatory minimum sentence is a court decision where judicial discretion is limited by law. As a result, there are irrevocable prison terms of a specific length for people convicted of particular federal and state crimes. As of January 2014, more than 50 percent of inmates in federal prisons are serving time for drug offenses, and more than 60 percent of people incarcerated are racial and ethnic minorities. The use of safetyRead MoreMandatory Minimum Sentences For Nonviolent Drug Related Offences1031 Words   |  5 PagesMandatory minimum sentences are the backbone of a racially unjust, overpopulated, and overpriced criminal justice system. The Smarter Sentencing Act is a bill that aims to r educe the mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug related offences. â€Å"The United States has five percent of the world’s population, and twenty five percent of the world’s prisoners. 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These laws effectively strip judges of their ability to adjudicate a fair punishment by setting a minimum sentence and handing their discretion over to prosecutors. A number of individuals and their f amilies have been negatively affected by mandatory minimum penalties, however, there are othersRead 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 than 2 millionRead MoreThe Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws1528 Words   |  7 Pagescould vary. To have unvaried penalties, mandatory minimum sentencing laws were enacted. These laws help keep citizens protected, while criminals are incarcerated. John Oliver, the host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, talks about how mandatory minimum sentencing increases the number of criminals incarcerated, and he believes the length of their prison time is longer than it should be. He shows videos of criminals who were convicted under the mandatory minimum law with drug crimes. These videos explainRead MoreWelfare Against Mandatory Minimum Law1143 Words   |  5 Pages Families Against Mandatory Minimum also known as FAMM advocate for smart sentencing such as individualized and fair criminal sentencing that protect the public. FAMM is nonprofit supported by attorneys, judges, criminal justice experts and concerned citizens. 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These policy changes were enacted in order to achieve greater consistency, certainty, and severity and include sentencing laws such as determinate sentencing, truth-in-sentencing, mandatory minimum sentencing, and three strikes laws (National Research Council 2014). Furthermore, I argue that mandatory sentencing has had the most significant effect on the incarceration rate. The political turmoil and changing social climate of the 1960s contributed to the policiesRead MoreRape And Burglary As A Post Incarceration Supervision1730 Words   |  7 Pagesof imposing a life sentence without parole (Sutton, 2013). Mandatory minimums take away the discretion of the judge in sentencing. These officials are bound by statute to place offenders behind bars. Because these statutes are put into place, the judge is not allowed to hand down alternative punishments, nor do they give them the opportunity to prescribe treatment or a change to rehabilitate. Such laws also hold racial discriminatory factors (USSC, 2011). Determinate sentences are those in which