7-2 Final Submission: Scenario Analysis
Running head: JUDICIAL PROCESS IN AMERICA 0
Judicial Process in America
Jessica Lyons
Southern New Hampshire University
Judicial Administration
Judicial Process in America
A mandatory minimum sentence laws set least sentences for particular crimes that the jury cannot lower, even during mitigating circumstances. The mandatory minimum sentence typifies a change in public policy to enforce precise amount of detention centered on the crime the defendant’s criminal history and offense committed (Larkin & Bernick, 2014). The period of detention is not based on other individual criminal’s circumstances and characteristics. On the other hand, the sentencing guidelines refers to the non-binding laws that determine a uniform sentencing plan for perpetrators sentenced in the US federal court structure that was implemented in 1987.
A mandatory minimum sentence calls for the judge to enforce a statutorily fixed ruling on individual criminals sentenced of particular offenses irrespective of other justifying factors. The most common of these rules deal with drug of crimes and set mandatory minimum sentences for ownership of a drug over a particular amount (Crime and Justice News, 2014). The guidelines offer very specific standardization of verdicts, depending on various factors. These factors are associated with both individual guilt of the perpetrator and the damage caused by his or her facts.
To this end, it is clear that mandatory minimum sentence help judicial efficiency by providing the laws that guide their verdicts. They do not have to struggle to make decision whether to sentence a person for ten years in prison or 20 years because the law already gives them direction (Larkin & Bernick, 2014). Besides, the laws encourage the judges to refer to previous cases of the same nature and make rulings consistent to them. In this case, the jury must also be careful to differentiate between the circumstance of the cases and the criminal record of the perpetrators.
References
Crime and Justice News (2014). How Plea Bargains are Making Jury Trials Obsolete. The Crime Report; Criminal Justice Journalists.
Larkin, P. & Bernick, E. (2014). Reconsidering Mandatory Minimum Sentences: The Argument for and Against Potential Regorms. The Heritage Foundation.
