Abolish Mandatory Minimums
On January 5, 2021, the Virginia State Crime Commission recommended that the General Assembly eliminate every mandatory minimum sentence in the criminal code, ranging from traffic violations to violent felony offenses. It also voted to recommend that anyone currently serving a mandatory minimum sentence be eligible for re-sentencing. (1)
“ “We choose judges and juries carefully, and then mandatory minimum laws force them to ignore their judgment and humanity and that is not justice,” Elders said.
The threat of mandatory minimum sentences also distorts the legal process, Elders said, because prosecutors can call for a mandatory sentence while offering a shorter sentence as part of a plea agreement.” (2)
This Vision for Norfolk is Long Overdue!
(1) Evans, Whittney. “Crime Commission Recommends Abolishing Mandatory Minimum Sentences.” VPM/NPR News, Jan. 5, 2021, 05:01.
(2) Id.