“A group of federal prosecutors is criticizing the Department of Justice’s support for legislation that would soften U.S. drug sentencing policies.
The National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, an organization representing about 1,300 of the 5,600 federal prosecutors, sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder last week objecting to his endorsement of the Smarter Sentencing Act. The bipartisan Senate bill would lighten prison sentences for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
The letter, signed by NAAUSA president and assistant U.S. attorney Robert Gay Guthrie, argues that the U.S. should resist calls to reform its mandatory minimum laws, which require judges to sentence certain drug defendants to lengthy prison terms, even if the judge considers those sentences excessive.”
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/06/naausa-letter-holder_n_4733823.html
Ana Kasparian (http://www.twitter.com/anakasparian) and Ben Mankiewicz (http://www.twitter.com/benmank77) of The Young Turks discuss the story and speculate on the reasons behind the NAAUSA’s decision to fight against mandatory minimum sentences.
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