The rule of mandatory minimum sentencing laws imposes long jail sentences on certain offenses. Judges are not allowed to sentence less due to personal cases. This has a direct rise in prison populations. The individuals who are convicted under these laws tend to spend far longer time in prison than the judges themselves would otherwise sentence them, which means that it is a significant factor in overcrowding prisons.
These long fixed sentences contribute directly towards counteracting rehabilitation. Prisoners do not have many reasons to engage in behaviour change programs. What is the use of therapy or educational or job training when the law insists on spending the entire term regardless of improvement? This eliminates an incentive to do better.
Mandatory minimums do not care about individual rehabilitation. They do not differentiate in treating the offenders and are not at all particular about the background or the capability to change. Such a universal approach is an inefficient use of available resources and deprives the rest of those that may need it and who can receive help based on the resources that may not apply broadly.
These laws lead to overcrowding in prison, which brings about unsafe conditions. The facilities that are overcrowded are characterized by criteria such as insufficient number of staff, shortages of programs and basic resources. This renders meaningful rehabilitation almost impossible. Individuals have no access to classes or counseling that is needed to prepare them to be released, and this makes the subsequent transition into society more risky.
Conclusion:
Minimum mandatory sentences are the major contributors to the problem of prisoner overcrowding since they compel long term prison necessary. At the same time, they discourage rehabilitation because they destroy the desire of inmates to become better based on their rewarding behaviour and creating a logical impossibility of providing effective programs in overcrowded environments. This vicious cycle is negative to individuals and the society because it both does not equip the inmates to be released successfully and increases pressure on the prison system.
