CPCS Chief Counsel Asks Legislative Committee to Eliminate Drug Mandatory Minimums
On June 9, 2015, Chief Counsel Anthony Benedetti testified at a hearing of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary in favor of two bills, H.1620 and S.786, which would eliminate drug mandatory minimum sentences in Massachusetts.
He told the Committee that mandatory minimums are a “failed policy” and that they do little to serve justice.
The Chief Counsel explained, “Mandatory minimums defy proportionality, carrying harsher penalties for drug offenses than those for a variety of violent crimes; they seldom reduce the availability of drugs or the number of traffickers; they are not rehabilitative; and rather than result in uniformity, they result in disparate, inconsistent, and disproportionate sentences that impact communities of color more often and much more severely.” He added, “Funds should instead be diverted to drug treatment programs and more cost-effective, more successful evidence-based supervision programs.”
Concluding his testimony with examples of how CPCS clients have been impacted, he was able to demonstrate how harsh, unfair, and disparate these sentences truly are. He ended saying, “Punishment should be sensible, fair, and appropriate. Mandatory minimums are not!”
The links to the legislation can be found at: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H1620 and https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/Senate/S786.
A copy of the Chief Counsel’s testimony can be found at: CPCS Chief Counsel Testimony — Joint Committee on the Judiciary — June 9, 2015