LANCASTER, Pa. -- District Attorneys across the commonwealth are fighting to have mandatory minimum sentences reinstated after the State Superior Court issued opinions that some mandatory minimum sentences are unconstitutional.
Mandatory minimum sentences were often sought in armed robberies, sex offenses and crimes involving possession of drugs and guns. "Everyone does not need to go to jail but there are some people that are really bad and the only thing you can do is to protect the community. This includes child rapists, people that are robbing people with guns, and some of the drug dealers as well," said Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman.
Stedman is fighting to reinstate what he calls a valuable crime-fighting tool. He said the benefits are two-fold: to keep career criminals off the streets, and also help solve crimes. "If you reduce the sentences so much and there is no incentive for them to cooperate, then more crimes are going to go unsolved."
Defense Attorney Steven Breit said the old guidelines often violated the rights of defendants. "What was happening was the nature of these mandatory minimums was a large fish net and they were catching a lot of small minnows in that net. You had individuals receiving disproportionate sentences for the crimes they actually committed," said Breit. "The decision gives power back to judges, the ability to sentence an individual based on that individual's case and their facts."