“The vast majority (83 percent) of life sentences examined by the ACLU were mandatory, meaning that the presiding judge had no choice but to sentence the defendant to a life behind bars. Mandatory sentences often result from repeat offender laws and draconian sentencing rules such as these federal standards for drug convictions. The data examined by the ACLU comes from the federal prison system and nine state penal systems that responded to open-records requests. This means the true number of nonviolent offenders serving life without parole is higher. Most of the nonviolent offenders sentenced to life without parole were racial minorities.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/11/23-petty-crimes-prison-life-without-parole
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