19 Search results for "mandatory minimum sentences"

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions inserted himself into the Senate’s affairs this week, sending Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley a letter calling The Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act “a grave error” that would “reduce sentences for a highly dangerous cohort of criminals.” The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 16-5 to advance the bill that would ease […]

The following is a guest post written by Logan Strain a writer for Instant Checkmate, an online background check service.  When he isn’t reading, he’s hanging out with his daughter. By: Logan Strain In Florida, having enough pills to fit into the palm of your hand will land you in prison for three years. At least. Statute […]

Media Contact: Jasson Perez jassonperez@gmail.com 773-344-2308  BYP 100 Chicago Chapter Joins Project Nia & Decarcerate Illinois Campaign to Oppose SB 1342 Sign our petition calling on the Illinois State House and the Illinois State Senate to oppose SB1342, this law will not make our communities safer   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CHICAGO-SB1342, a law that would increase […]

Research shows that mandatory minimum sentences do not reduce gun violence. According to a new report released by the Northwestern School of Law’s Bluhm Legal Clinic, evidence shows promising leads about alternative approaches to reducing gun violence.

Attorney General Eric Holder will announce major drug sentencing reforms today. The Justice Department will avoid charging low-level and nonviolent drug offenders with crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences, as long as they’re not connected with criminal organizations.

The following post originally appeared on the Huffington Post. It was written by Glenn Martin and appears under the title of, “The War on Drugs Didn’t Fail Yesterday.” Glenn E. Martin is a national leader and criminal justice reform advocate who who spent six years in New York State prisons. He’s also the Founder and Chief Risk […]

The following post was written by Heidi Redlitz, a San Diego-based blogger who is interested in how gun laws affect crime rates in major US cities. Politics, economics and social behavior all have an impact on crime rates, and Chicago is just one example of how these factors can affect urban areas. 

Clarence Aaron is one of 8 prisoners whose sentences were pardoned by President Obama on Thursday. Aaron is one of many first-time nonviolent drug offenders sentenced to life without parole. His story was widely used as a prime example of injustice within the prison system. 

  Organizations, activists and community members across Illinois have protested the controversial SB 1342 bill. The law, proposed by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, would impose mandatory minimum sentences in the state. Advocates who oppose the bill argue that the bill unfairly targets minorities, funneling them into an already overpopulated prison system.

By Aaron Talley, BYP 100 Chicago One would think that it goes without saying that we should meet the complex problems of violence in Chicago with equally complex solutions. One would think, or rather one should think, that reducing violence requires creative, expansive, and thoughtful solutions. However, time proves again and again that lawmakers choose […]

Over 100 entertainers have banded together to call on President Obama to change America’s drug laws; emphasizing rehabilitation and intervention rather than jail time. Are you ready to see major reform to America’s drug laws? Will the President heed their call?

According to the Chicago Tribune, two young men have been charged with murder in the shooting of Hadiya Pendleton. The two suspects were reportedly out for revenge after a previous shooting. They mistook a friend of Pendleton’s for a rival gang member.