Advocates for changes to the laws say mandatory minimum sentencing does not allow a judge to consider unique circumstances surrounding a case.
Gwen Levi walks with her head held high down a busy section of downtown Baltimore. The 77-year-old grandmother is headed for her job at the local library. Levi's life lately is a far cry from where she was just a few years ago, behind bars in federal prison, after being charged with selling heroin.
"To me, at the age I was, it was life. It meant that I was supposed to be 93 when I got released," she recalled. "One size fits all rarely fits all. Every case is unique and every person is unique. Circumstances in one case may be different than another," said Molly Gill, who serves as the vice president of policy for Families Against Mandatory Minimums, or FAMM."We're not safer when we put everyone in prison indiscriminately. We need to be wise about prison resources we use, who we send to prison and how long they stay," she added.
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