Mandatory Sentencing

Mandatory Sentences: Effective or Waste of Money?

In the 1980’s a crime wave swept over American cities. The public and politicians began to complain that offenders were being released before serving terms that were long enough. The states wanted to send a clear message: If you do the crime, you will do the time. State legislatures responded by enacting mandatory sentences: “a sentence stipulating that some minimum period of incarceration must be served by people convicted of selected crimes, regardless of background or circumstances” (Cole, 2003 p. 73). As a part of this “the judge may not consider the circumstances of the offense or the background of the offender, and may not impose sentences that do not involve incarceration” (Cole, 2003, p. 73). These mandatory prison sentences are used most often when the crime is of a violent nature, for recurrent criminals, drug offenses, or when firearms are used. These laws have become increasingly popular and are freq...