http://www.sentencingproject.org/template/page.cfm?id=128
In 1986 a famous young basketball star named Len Bias overdosed on cocaine as a result the Congress implicated a mandatory minimum jail time. This was a bad idea because one size doesn’t fit all. Meaning that every case isn’t the same so they shouldn’t be treated as if they are. Len Bias was star college basketball at Maryland University who was drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics. When he got drafted he went out that night to party and celebrate and he ended up having an overdose of cocaine and dying.
I agree with this mission of The Sentencing Project because in some cases the defendants don’t deserve as much time as they were given. Every case is different and should be treated that way. The statistics below show a huge increase in the number of drug offenders going to jail. Does this say that the war on drugs is working? No. In jail criminals just meet other criminals. The problem of illegal drugs and the crime related to drug offenses in our society will best be solved with alternative plans besides mandatory jail sentencing. Many offenders would benefit from mandatory community service and rehabilitation programs. America society in general would benefit from less detention and more service based education.
