Greg Newburn, the Florida director of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, says that's unconscionable. In Florida, mandatory minimums are determined by the state legislature and are currently represented in chapter 775 of the Florida Statutes. At 78, she has outlived two of her three sons. The legislature should create an independent oversight body with authority to monitor and inspect Department of Public Safety facilities and conditions, make recommendations for improving the Department, and investigate and address grievances. “Second Look” legislation would allow courts to reevaluate a person’s sentence and conduct after a significant period of time of incarceration and determine if that sentence is still necessary. We used her story in the legislature … State advocacy goals for the next five years: 1.) The vision of FAMM is a criminal justice system in which: People are treated equally under the law and held accountable only after an independent judge considers the unique facts and circumstances of the crime and the person and fashions a sentence that is individualized and proportionate; Newburn, State Policy Director for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said Florida in the 1970s took a tough stance on dugs. Newburn says Families Against Mandatory Minimums has been following Powell's story for years and has profiled her on the organization's website to show an example where the mandatory minimum was disproportionate and unjust. Families Against Mandatory Minimums. In 1996, Alice Marie Johnson was convicted of eight federal counts for her role as a leader in a Tennessee cocaine trafficking conspiracy. More than 1,000 people are serving “death by incarceration” sentences even though no one was hurt during their offense. Forgot account? Fight for Inmate Rights. FAMM Greg Newburn is the Florida director of state policy for Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Tallahassee, Fla. – FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) State Policy Director Greg Newburn today cheered the introduction of a reform to Florida’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws. Florida’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws have sent thousands of drug offenders to prison, sometimes for decades. The Clemency Board should amend the Rules of Executive Clemency to expand eligibility for all forms of clemency, including commutations of sentence, and expedite the commutation process. New Jersey has mandatory minimum sentences for several offenses, including those involving firearms, drugs and misconduct. Families Against Mandatory Minimums. A different law mandates life without parole even for crimes that didn’t cause injury or death. Because people grow and mature, even in prison, a sentence that was appropriate at the time it was imposed could become inappropriate later, and the law should reflect this possibility. The legislature should establish a conditional aging prisoner release program, and a conditional medical release program, within the Department of Corrections to allow for early release for elderly and ill people. “Mandatory minimum sentences may have been intended as a way to help curb crime, but in reality, they have oftentimes done far more harm than good throughout the years,” Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, D-Hudson, said in a statement. Create New Account. In eight of the past 20 years — including six of the last 10 — Florida’s Clemency Board has not found a single sentence it felt should be reduced. Mass Incarceration in the United States. You can read more about our vision for Florida’s criminal justice system below. FAMM. By contrast, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt has commuted more than 500 sentences this year. Expand state compassionate release. Decades into the experiment, mandatory minimums have failed to achieve any of those objectives, and in fact have made them worse. Secure meaningful sentencing reform in more states. Florida’s prisons cost taxpayers $2.5 billion annually, employ tens of thousands of people, and are responsible for the lives of 90,000 incarcerated people, yet lack independent oversight, transparency, and accountability. Prison systems need transparency to run well and prevent harm to staff and prisoners. or. First, the defendant may provide “substantial assis-tance” to the government by turning in other defendants. Topics similar to or like Families Against Mandatory Minimums. Although the trial judge stated that he believed the sentence was unfair, he was forced by statute to sentence Stewart’s brother … Log In. Executive clemency is nearly extinct. FAMM's members include prisoners and their families, attorneys, judges, criminal justiceexperts, and conc… In many cases, you’re helping them. Lawmakers should repeal the 10-20-Life law and give judges the discretion to determine appropriate sentences. See more of Families Against Mandatory Minimums on Facebook The Legislature should repeal mandatory minimum sentencing laws, apply those reforms retroactively, and allow elected judges to impose appropriate sentences in any case in which a sentence was imposed over the judge’s objection. Established in 1991 by a former public affairs … Since regaining her freedom, Johnson has traveled the country urging state legislatures to pass sentencing reform. Some of the family members who had traveled from various states for the rally … Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is the national voice for fair and proportionate sentencing laws; recommends actions for members of the community to help reform unfair mandatory minimum sentences. Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1991 to challenge mandatory sentencing laws and advocate for criminal justice reform. Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) was founded following the arrest, conviction, and sentencing of Julie Stewart’s brother on charges of growing marijuana. Florida is at a near 50-year crime low, but so is nearly every other state in the country, along with every other country in the Western world. Families Against Mandatory Minimums added a list. FAMM promotes sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to distinguish between defendants and sentence them according to their role in the offense, the seriousness of the offense, and their potential for rehabilitation. Newburn says Families Against Mandatory Minimums has been following Powell's story for years and has profiled her on the organization's website to show an example where the mandatory minimum … Study: Mandatory minimums cost Florida $100 million as deaths, arrests rise The James Madison Institute finds no positives from jailing users. By sharing the impact of unjust sentencing and prison policies on incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities, FAMM has helped create urgency around the issue and made the problem feel real to the policymakers who have to be moved to make meaningful change. Lastly, Florida’s Clemency Board should revive the noble and once common practice of commuting sentences to correct obvious injustices. Many of them are first-time offenders with no previous convictions, but the law nevertheless strips judges of all discretion. 5.) The number of elderly people in Florida prisons has risen 327% since 2000. Phone: (202) 822-6700, FAMM and NACDL Present: The Vanishing Trial. Michael Giles’ family is fighting Florida’s state law mandating minimum sentences. 05/15/2012 03:08 pm ET Updated Jul 15, 2012 This Mother's Day was another bittersweet one for Janet Earle. Florida abolished parole in 1983. Washington, D.C. 20005 Meanwhile, prescription drug arrests jumped from around 6,000 in 2002 to more than 25,000 in 2010. Another 3,500 are serving non-life sentences of 40 years or more. Sec- Mandatory minimum laws make the people who have committed the same crime get the same guaranteed sentence. Oppose new mandatory minimum proposals and other harmful legislation. 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