Keep advocating! Keep pushing for prison reform! #BLM

Mandatory minimum sentencing is the racism you don’t see.

In all the rioting and searching for justice, don’t forget that Mandatory Minimums are an injustice to the black/POC community. Mandatory minimums sentencing were created to “take race out of the picture for crimes committed” but in reality was created to give blacks “AT LEAST a certain amount of time” and these laws have prevented many from becoming productive members of society by punishing [black] men at a young age.

“My research surprisingly revealed that almost no criminal justice entities agree with the usage of mandatory minimum sentences. I expected judges and defense attorneys not to favor such measures because it lessened their power to effectively do their jobs. However, I was quite surprised to learn that most prosecutors are also not in favor of these measures. The only criminal justice component which favors these sentences are the legislators who created the law.

Although Benjamin is white, he had fallen victim as collateral damage to Mandatory Minimum sentencings. A majority of his friends and fellow inmates incarcerated with him under mandatory minimums are black. Mandatory minimum laws are going to be the downfall to our society as Americans.
Unfortunately, being incarcerated had lost its negative stigma—being a former inmate now seems to be worn more like a badge of honor than a disgraceful occurrence. A lot of former inmates boast that they've been in prison and survived the experience. We cannot allow children to grow up believing that prison is a rite of passage if we ever hope to arrest these ever-increasing incarceration rates. (Blakemore, 1998).

So again, while you are out protesting the systemic injustices of the police system, please remember is DOES NOT STOP THERE! The injustices go far and deep into the arresting, sentencing, and prison structures focusing on Blacks and POC. Remember that mandatory minimums were designed to keep Blacks and POC incarcerated for long periods of time. 

Sources: https://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/s98blake.htm