There are two things in America that have been around for many years: prisons and drugs. According to researchers, Nelson Rockefeller was the governor of New York in the 1970’s. At that time the streets of New York were riddled with drug addicts. Rockefeller reached a point where something had to be done and quickly, so he imposed new sentencing guidelines for those caught with drugs. Within the new guidelines any drug related offense, addicts or dealers, resulted in a mandatory 15 years to life sentence. As a result, more prisons had to be built to accommodate the 2 million people who are serving long sentences for drugs (Mann). Recently talks of repealing “mandatory minimum sentencing” have come to surface under the Obama Administration:
…show more content…
They claim that the fear of a long jail sentence alone is enough to combat crime rates. An editor for “National Review” states, “Prison sentences do have a direct correlation with crime rates. People in prison tend not to rob liquor stores” (“Prison Overcrowding” 5). Advocates maintain crime rates are down and making changes to this policy would change that. A former U.S. Assistant Attorney General states, “minimum sentences help remove dangerous offenders from society, ensure just punishment and are an essential tool in gaining cooperation from members of violent street gangs and drug distribution networks” (“Mandatory Minimum Sentences” …show more content…
According to an Associate Deputy Attorney General, under the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, offenders whom pose a threat to children will face severe, yet just punishment. Several cases are reported each year involving drug dealers and children. In 2004 Congress passed the PROTECT Act, a law that was put in place to protect children, has been extremely effective in pursuing and penalizing those who harm children. Drug dealers endanger children by subjecting them to drugs, selling them drugs, and exploiting them for drug trafficking (O’Neil 1). Between 2003 and 2004 statistics compiled by the Department of Justice show, “…we have had over 400 convictions…of persons engaged in drug activity involving minors” (2).
Adversaries maintain that tough sentencing guidelines denies inmates of rehabilitation. Drug addicts are simply being thrown in jail without the proper treatment or education needed to overcome their addiction. The U.S Attorney General states, “We need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter, and rehabilitate, not merely to warehouse and forget” (“Mandatory Minimum Sentences” 2). Depriving addicts’ proper treatment while in prison makes them more likely to return to the same behaviors upon release, ultimately increasing recidivism rates. According to the drug policy project Join
They claim that the fear of a long jail sentence alone is enough to combat crime rates. An editor for “National Review” states, “Prison sentences do have a direct correlation with crime rates. People in prison tend not to rob liquor stores” (“Prison Overcrowding” 5). Advocates maintain crime rates are down and making changes to this policy would change that. A former U.S. Assistant Attorney General states, “minimum sentences help remove dangerous offenders from society, ensure just punishment and are an essential tool in gaining cooperation from members of violent street gangs and drug distribution networks” (“Mandatory Minimum Sentences” …show more content…
According to an Associate Deputy Attorney General, under the mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines, offenders whom pose a threat to children will face severe, yet just punishment. Several cases are reported each year involving drug dealers and children. In 2004 Congress passed the PROTECT Act, a law that was put in place to protect children, has been extremely effective in pursuing and penalizing those who harm children. Drug dealers endanger children by subjecting them to drugs, selling them drugs, and exploiting them for drug trafficking (O’Neil 1). Between 2003 and 2004 statistics compiled by the Department of Justice show, “…we have had over 400 convictions…of persons engaged in drug activity involving minors” (2).
Adversaries maintain that tough sentencing guidelines denies inmates of rehabilitation. Drug addicts are simply being thrown in jail without the proper treatment or education needed to overcome their addiction. The U.S Attorney General states, “We need to ensure that incarceration is used to punish, deter, and rehabilitate, not merely to warehouse and forget” (“Mandatory Minimum Sentences” 2). Depriving addicts’ proper treatment while in prison makes them more likely to return to the same behaviors upon release, ultimately increasing recidivism rates. According to the drug policy project Join