Fifty-five years without possibility of parole. That is what Weldon Angelos is facing for selling a total of $350 worth of marijuana, and carrying a firearm; even though, he has no criminal history and never fired the gun. This is all due to laws called mandatory minimum sentences (MMS); which are sentences that are determined by the weight of the drugs or the presence of a firearm during a felony offense. They are called mandatory because judges are forced to impose these sentences based solely on the amount of drug present without any leniency. The mandatory minimum prison sentences are a controversial way to fight the “War on Drugs” that have a conflicted history and have drastically increased prison populations and costs.
Mandatory minimum sentences have been called both America’s strongest tool and one of its greatest injustices, but here are the facts. Mandatory sentencing laws dictate that when a set amount of narcotics (for example one gram of LSD or 100 grams of heroin) is present the judge is required to sentence no lower than the set minimum (in this case it would be five years). This differs from other criminal cases in that …show more content…
Those in support of MMS state that they keep the justice system fair and safe from radical judges and juries who’s views on sentencing will vary greatly for each individual; therefore, actually preventing disparities. MMS are a powerful deterrent that prosecutors can use against the accused to get plea bargains and information on those higher in the drug organizations; however, those opposed say that MMS cases have no advantage when it comes to cooperation rates because most who are arrested are low level offenders who are not affiliated or know little about the organization (Mandatory Minimum sentencing 1). This means it is usually those who are higher up the chain- those who are doing the more serious crimes- that end up getting their sentences cut