Mandatory Minimums

DrugSense

Wall Street Journal, 08 May 2013 - 'Mandatory minimum' laws need an overhaul. Congress is ready. Will the president make good on his promises? There are few topics on which leading Democratic and Republican voices agree these days. But the recently introduced Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 - which would authorize federal judges to impose prison terms below statutory mandatory minimums in some cases represents a new bipartisan effort at addressing America's overcrowded prisons and bloated budget. Passage of the act, though, will depend on President Obama and his Justice Department getting behind it.

On Wednesday, US Reps. Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013, House Bill 1695, in the House of Representatives. Identical companion legislation, Senate Bill 619, was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Pat Leahy (D-VT) last month.

[image:1 align:right caption:true]Under pressure from sentencing reform advocates, as well as civil rights activists, Congress modified its strict mandatory minimum drug sentencing regime years ago to create a "safety valve" allowing some -- but not all -- drug offenders to avoid harsh mandatory minimum sentences. The 2013 Justice Safety Valve Act would expand the safety valve to apply to all federal crimes involving mandatory minimums.

"Mandatory minimum sentences have been shown to mandate unjust results," said Rep. Scott. "They have a racially discriminatory impact, studies conclude that they waste the taxpayer's money, and they often violate common sense."

"The one size fits all approach of federally mandated minimums does not give local judges the latitude they need to ensure that punishments fit the crimes," said Rep. Massie. "As a result, nonviolent offenders are sometimes given excessive sentences. Furthermore, public safety can be compromised because violent offenders are released from our nation's overcrowded prisons to make room for nonviolent offenders."

Noting that the federal Bureau of Prisons accounts for 25% of all Justice Department spending, Scott and Massie said passage of the measure was necessary to help reduce "the bloated federal prison population." Drug offenders make up nearly 50% of the more than 200,000 current federal prisoners.

Metro Times, 17 Apr 2013 - History is punctuated by 'will of the people' and 'right makes might' moments; are supporters of legalizing pot ready for theirs? "Reform the draconian marijuana laws" has been a rallying cry of this newspaper since its inception, with groves felled and gallons of ink spent outlining a folly - at a plant with medicinal, psychosocial and economic benefits.

Lincoln Journal Star, 01 Apr 2013 - As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot. Until now, Obama has been remarkably adept at taking positions that seemed to be ahead of their time -- and getting ahead of them.

Dayton Daily News, 28 Mar 2013 - As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot. Four years after his Justice Department announced that the feds will no longer crack down on medicinal marijuana sellers who follow state laws, the president's pot position continues to be dangerously vague and confusing.

Commercial Appeal, 29 Mar 2013 - The president's position on pot continues to be dangerously vague and confusing." As the nation's capital prepares to open its first legal medicinal marijuana dispensary and Sen. Rand Paul's call for legalization basks in bipartisan praise, it's time for President Barack Obama to clear the air around his own passive-aggressive position on pot.

The Record, 27 Mar 2013 - Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., believes that Congress is "about 10 years behind the public." So Paul said on "Fox News Sunday" as he argued against incarcerating marijuana users. Paul sagely suggested the Republican Party should employ such thinking to "appeal across the left-right paradigm." Paul has put his money where his mouth is. Last week, Paul co-sponsored legislation with Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt. Their Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 would grant judges greater flexibility in the federal mandatory minimum sentencing system.