FAMM Calls on States, Congress to Heed New Examples of Sentencing Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 3, 2010
Contact: media@famm.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) today praised the release of two new reports of the Sentencing Project, a D.C.-based research and advocacy group. In "Downscaling Prisons: Lessons from Four States," a report released with Justice Strategies, the Sentencing Project found that four states - Kansas, Michigan, New Jersey, and New York - have reduced their prison populations by five to 20 percent since 1999 without any increases in crime. The report credits FAMM reform campaigns in Michigan and New Jersey with contributing to the positive results experienced in those states.
“Replacing lengthy mandatory minimum sentences with evidence-based alternatives is the best approach for states that seek to maintain public safety while reducing corrections spending,” said Julie Stewart, president and founder of FAMM. “These reports show that some good things are happening at the state level. It’s time for all states and the U.S. Congress to take note of these developments and to enact the same type of fiscally responsible, research-proven sentencing reforms.”
In addition to the “Downscaling Justice” report, the Sentencing Project also released, "The State of Sentencing 2009: Developments in Policy and Practice," which highlights reforms in at least 19 states that hold the potential of further prison population reductions.
FAMM continues to work for sentencing reform at the federal and state level, including in Massachusetts and Florida. For more information, visit FAMM’s interactive map of the United States, which includes background information on mandatory minimums in our project states and across the nation. The map can be found at: http://www.famm.org/StateSentencing.aspx.
For a quick reference on significant state sentencing reforms, please download our two-page fact sheet summarizing the reforms mentioned in the Sentencing Project report and more. http://www.famm.org/Repository/Files/State%20Responses%20to%20Mandatory%20Minimum%20Laws%20Alphabetically%20_2-23-10_%5B1%5D.pdf. To learn more about FAMM’s work to reform Michigan’s mandatory sentencing laws, including the repeal of the “650 Lifer” law, previously one of the nation’s oldest and harshest mandatory minimums, please download FAMM’s report, “Positive Trends in State-Level Sentencing and Corrections Policy,” at http://www.famm.org/Repository/Files/82751_Positive%20Trends.pdf.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization supporting fair and proportionate sentencing laws that allow judicial discretion while maintaining public safety. For more information on FAMM, visit www.famm.org or contact Monica Pratt Raffanel at media@famm.org.
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