Stop the PA House's Latest Attempt to Expand Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

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In the Pennsylvania House, facts apparently don't matter. The facts are that mandatory minimum sentencing has no impact on crime, deterrence, or recidivism. And yet some state representatives keep going back to their old, tired playbook, like a builder who only has one tool.

In the latest version of this folly, the state House will vote on two bills this week to create new mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of certain offenses while possessing a firearm. And one of those bills will make it nearly impossible for people merely accused of certain offenses to be released before trial, forcing them to prove their future actions before they've even been convicted of a crime that allegedly occurred in the past.

So much for "innocent until proven guilty."

These bills are a recipe for further bloating the populations of Pennsylvania's state prisons and county jails. The votes on this legislation could come as soon as Tuesday.

Contact your state rep and tell them to vote "No" on new, longer mandatory minimum sentences.

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This week, the state House may consider two bills to expand mandatory minimum sentencing. Research shows that mandatory minimum sentencing doesn't work. By adding more years to existing criminal sentencing, this legislation will bloat prison and jail populations. Please vote "no" on House Bills 1587 and 1590.

Message Body

House Bills 1587 and 1590 take the state in the wrong direction. A Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision in 2015 overturned mandatory minimum sentencing, on the heels of a U.S. Supreme Court decision over how those sentences are determined. In six years, the lack of mandatory minimum sentences has had no detectable impact on crime.

Research shows that mandatory minimum sentencing does not deter crime or prevent recidivism. In fact, most people can't name an offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence.

The author of House Bill 1590 attempts a bit of legal magic, substituting a mandatory minimum sentence for a "presumed" sentence within the state's sentencing guidelines. If it looks like a mandatory minimum and acts like a mandatory minimum, it's a mandatory minimum.

Meanwhile, House Bill 1587 both adds new mandatory minimums for people convicted of certain offenses while possessing a firearm and makes it nearly impossible for people charged - but not convicted - to be released before trial. Instead of putting the burden on the state to prove why a person should be detained before their trial, the bill puts the burden on the person charged to prove why they should be released, even though they are innocent in the eyes of the law. In a state founded by a man who was detained repeatedly by the state, this idea blows up the foundational values on which our commonwealth was established.

The facts are these: The criminal offenses that are covered in House Bills 1587 and 1590 already have lengthy sentences in existing law. Expanding the mandatory minimum sentences for these offenses won't impact crime rates. But these bills will impact the populations of state prisons and county jails. Vote on facts. Vote "no" on House Bills 1587 and 1590.

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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Stop the PA House's Latest Attempt to Expand Mandatory Minimum Sentencing

Act Now

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