From W&L Law Magazine: Too Much and Too Many
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced recently that the Justice Department will no longer pursue mandatory minimum sentences for certain low-level, nonviolent drug offenders.
In his announcement, Holder cited both excessive incarceration and racial disparities in sentencing as critical problems with the criminal justice system.
The cover story for the most recent edition of W&L Law magazine digs in on just this very issue. Several members of W&L Law’s stellar criminal law faculty analyze over-criminalization in the U.S. Topics covered include financial costs, the growth of federal criminal law, and collateral sentencing consequences, among others.
Read the feature story online.
Editor’s note: For another perspective on this issue, read this commentary by Christopher Russell, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Buena Vista, Virginia and director of the public prosecutor’s externship program at W&L Law.
