Pubdate: Tues, 23 Jan 2001
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Copyright: 2001 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Contact:  P.O. Box 661, Milwaukee, WI 53201
Fax: 414-224-8280
Website: http://www.jsonline.com/
Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi
Author: Carla Widener, Wauwatosa

LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT SENTENCING SYSTEM

I was pleased when President Clinton decided to commute the sentences of 
two women serving federal mandatory sentences for minor roles in drug 
crimes. While justice was served in these cases, it is still lacking for 
thousands of federal drug offenders sentenced under inflexible mandatory 
sentencing laws.

These laws, which send thousands of drug offenders to prison every year, 
restrict judges from considering all the facts of a case. Only the drug, 
its weight and a person's prior convictions determine the sentence. The 
only way to get a reduced sentence is by providing information to the 
government. Unfortunately, low-level offenders with no information to 
provide often receive longer sentences than kingpins who have plenty to tell.

Let's hope that the new Congress will realize the inequities of our current 
sentencing system and replace our Draconian mandatory laws with those that 
let the punishment fit the crime.

Carla Widener
Wauwatosa
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart