Blog Archives - Page 9 of 9 - FAMM
Blog

Category

HomeArchive by Category "Blog" (Page 9)

New Poll Finds 77% of Americans Support Eliminating Mandatory Minimums for Non-Violent Offenses

Thursday, October 9, 2014

A new Reason-Rupe Public Opinion Survey finds that 77 percent of Americans support eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses. That number is up from 71 percent in December 2013, the last time Reason-Rupe polled on the question. You can find the full survey results here (PDF); mandatory minimums are question 17.  “Almost three decades have … Read More

Read More

AG Eric Holder: No More Super Mandatory Minimums to Punish Defendants Who Want a Trial

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Attorney General Eric Holder has issued a memo prohibiting prosecutors from using the threat of enhanced mandatory minimum sentences solely to force criminal defendants to plead guilty in drug trafficking cases. These super-sized mandatory minimums, called “section 851 enhancements,” allow prosecutors to ensure a defendant’s mandatory minimum sentence is doubled or even increased to life in … Read More

Read More

New report from FAMM: Massachusetts candidates’ positions on mandatory minimum drug sentences

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Over 90% of respondents favor repeal or reform   Media contact: Barbara Dougan, (617) 543-0878 or Mike Riggs, (202) 621-6706 BOSTON – Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is excited to release a collection of surveys detailing how 24 candidates for four offices view mandatory minimum drug laws in Massachusetts. FAMM asked candidates from every major race—including governor, … Read More

Read More

Here Is FAMM’s Priority Letter to the U.S. Sentencing Commission

Friday, August 1, 2014

Last month, we encouraged FAMM members to tell the U.S. Sentencing Commission what its priorities should be next session.The Commission has published its own set of proposed priorities, which you can see here.   While the public comment period is now over, we thought we’d share with you what FAMM asked the Sentencing Commission to do. … Read More

Read More

Florida Legislature Reforms Prescription Drug Trafficking Sentences

Friday, April 11, 2014

By a vote of 113-2, the Florida House passed a bill today aimed at reducing the number of people subjected to mandatory minimums for prescription drug offenses. The House vote follows the Florida Senate’s passage of SB 360 in late March. “This common sense bill is a step forward in addressing the demand side of … Read More

Read More

Reform Mandatory Minimum Sentencing Laws, Witnesses Tell Senate Committee

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C. — At a packed public hearing of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, a former federal prosecutor and the director of a conservative criminal justice reform group called on U.S. Senators to roll back federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws. These witnesses told committee members that one-size-fits-all penalties do more harm than good, a message … Read More

Read More

Sixth Circuit Crack Retroactivity Ruling Appealed

Monday, June 3, 2013

Two weeks ago, we gave you the good news that two judges of a three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA) is retroactive.  People sentenced to the old crack cocaine mandatory minimums before August 3, 2010, in the states the Sixth Circuit covers, could … Read More

Read More