Page 8 - Mandatory Minimum News Today

RICHMOND — Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly have legislation to eliminate numerous mandatory minimum prison sentences from the state code. The House of Delegates and Senate — both controlled by Democrats — each have different ideas of how many mandatory minimums they’d like to scrub. So now comes the hard part: reaching a consensus on a final piece of legislation that both chambers will agree to. The House bill from Del. Mike Mullin, D-Newport News, an assistan...

Bill to eliminate mandatory minimums wins Virginia Senate Judiciary Committee approval Virginia General Assembly building (Source: WVIR) By Associated Press | January 25, 2021 at 7:01 PM EST - Updated January 25 at 9:43 PM RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A proposal to eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences in Virginia has won approval from a key legislative committee. The legislation cleared by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday would end mandatory minimum jail and prison terms for more t...

FRESNO — High-ranking Nuestra Familia prison gang member Salvador Castro Jr., 50, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiring to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. According to court documents, Castro used a contraband cellphone from inside Pleasant Valley State Prison in Fresno County to arrange for the formation of a new street gang regiment in Kings and Tulare counties. According to the plea a...

Top 5 Criminal Justice Reforms Advocates Want Under Biden By Sarah Martinson | January 10, 2021, 8:02 PM EST Joe Bidens election as president has sparked hope among criminal justice advocates and organizations that his administration will overhaul the U.S. criminal justice system and implement reforms they have been seeking for years. Bidens campaign website promises that the Democratic president-elect will "strengthen Americas commitment to justice and reform our criminal just...

The recommendation to Virginias legislature would remove laws passed in the "tough on crime" era of the 1980s and 90s. The panel found mandatory minimums disproportionately affect Black people and