Mandatory minimum sentences distort the criminal justice process. It transfers power and control from the Judges (who are, after all, the ones who are supposed to impartially judge) to prosecutors (whose role is to prosecute). It allows prosecutors to extort a plea of guilty to a lesser charge from an accused person, under threat of proceeding with a charge that has a high mandatory minimum sentence, as Judges have to sit by, helpless to intervene.
(OTTAWA) May 5, 2016 – Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party of Canada (MP, Saanich-Gulf Islands), today introduced a private member’s bill in the
Source: Elizabeth May introduces private member’s bill to abolish mandatory minimums