Legislation is being proposed to fix inequities in mandatory minimum sentences, a U.S. senator reports.
The bill drafted by the Senate Judiciary Committee is called the “Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told the Deseret News.
The measure would give judges more sentencing discretion. It would also increase access to vocational training, therapeutic counseling and re-entry services for federal prisoners. An aim would be to curb first-time offenders from becoming career criminals.
One flaw is that first-time offenders are serving more time than some murderers and rapists, said Lee, R-Utah.
Lee said he was exposed to the mandatory sentencing problems while assigned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah in 2004, the Oct. 18 newspaper story reported.
Lee saw that judges were powerless and that prisons had become overcrowded. Lee said he watched as the courts were forced to impose sentences that just didn’t fit the crime.
Pundits who support these extreme sentences rely on statistics, but when one out of 28 children has an incarcerated parent, the numbers tell a different side of this story, Lee told the newspaper.
The motive behind mandatory minimum sentencing laws began in the 1960s, with a drug-fueled crime-wave of lawlessness and violence that persisted for three decades.
In the 1990s, the crime rates began to drop, a trend that continues to this day.
This crime reduction, however, isn’t due to any one policy or program but rather a host of “character forming” opportunities. Some might say it was an “It takes a village” mentality that brought all these elements together; Faith, Family, Work and Community.
These ideals became the premise behind the “Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act,” Lee said.
For the most part, the bill wouldn’t change the status for serious drug or violent offenders as they would remain ineligible for any sort of federal “safety valve” relief. Nor will it absolve offenders of their crimes or release crowds of violent predators into the community
Opponents of the bill argue that some criminals are so monstrous that it’s almost a crime to give them a second chance. That is an unrealistic belief because almost all prisoners get released eventually, the newspaper noted.
The legislation might not be perfect, but it’s a great start that’s been long overdue, reported Lee.
