Hudson County View By John Heinis/Hudson County View The measured, sponsored by Assembly Democrats Nick Chiaravalloti, Raj Mukherji, Linda Carter and Shanique Speight, was approved by a vote tally of 46-20(4). “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,” Chiaravalloti said in a statement. “Judges must be able to take each individual’s circumstances into account when it comes to determining proper disciplinary measures for a crime. It’s long past time for our state to update these sentencing laws.”