mello
07-15-2015, 09:44 AM
Obama Agrees With Rand Paul That Mandatory Minimums Should Be Abolished
The president joins the Kentucky senator in calling for sentencing reform.
Jacob Sullum
Jul. 15, 2015 8:49 am
"For nonviolent drug crimes," President Obama said in a speech on criminal justice reform yesterday, "we need to lower long mandatory minimum sentences or get rid of them entirely." That position is similar to the one taken by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in 2013, when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee, "I am here to ask that we begin the end of mandatory minimum sentencing."
Of the various sentencing reform bills before Congress, the Justice Safety Valve Act, which Paul and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced that year and reintroduced last February, is the only one that would effectively abolish federal mandatory minimums. Paul and Leahy's bill leaves the penalties on the books but allows judges to depart from them in the interest of justice, which makes them suggestions rather than mandates.
During his speech, which he delivered at the NAACP convention in Philadelphia, Obama praised Paul for his work on criminal justice reform, which also includes legislation aimed at restoring voting rights to people convicted of felonies, expunging criminal records, equipping police with body cameras, and imposing limits on civil forfeiture. "To his credit, he's been consistent on this," Obama said.
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read more:
http://reason.com/blog/2015/07/15/obama-agrees-with-rand-paul-that-mandato
The president joins the Kentucky senator in calling for sentencing reform.
Jacob Sullum
Jul. 15, 2015 8:49 am
"For nonviolent drug crimes," President Obama said in a speech on criminal justice reform yesterday, "we need to lower long mandatory minimum sentences or get rid of them entirely." That position is similar to the one taken by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in 2013, when he told the Senate Judiciary Committee, "I am here to ask that we begin the end of mandatory minimum sentencing."
Of the various sentencing reform bills before Congress, the Justice Safety Valve Act, which Paul and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced that year and reintroduced last February, is the only one that would effectively abolish federal mandatory minimums. Paul and Leahy's bill leaves the penalties on the books but allows judges to depart from them in the interest of justice, which makes them suggestions rather than mandates.
During his speech, which he delivered at the NAACP convention in Philadelphia, Obama praised Paul for his work on criminal justice reform, which also includes legislation aimed at restoring voting rights to people convicted of felonies, expunging criminal records, equipping police with body cameras, and imposing limits on civil forfeiture. "To his credit, he's been consistent on this," Obama said.
...
read more:
http://reason.com/blog/2015/07/15/obama-agrees-with-rand-paul-that-mandato