Issue Position: Mandatory Sentencing

Issue Position

Forcing judges to issue unnecessarily harsh prison sentences for nonviolent crimes hurts our community by tearing families apart and ruining lives. With the cost of housing an inmate in at over $20,000 a year, prison beds should be reserved for the worst offenders.

We should allow judges to do their job and give them the flexibility and discretion that they need to look at the facts of each individual case and issue appropriate punishment. With the exception of murder and crimes involving children, the legislature should reform minimum sentencing statutes and put the power back in the hands of the judges.

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