Understanding Drug Sentencing: Mandatory Minimums and Trial Penalties as Weapons in the Drug War

Mandatory Minimums and Trial Penalties as Weapons in the Drug War panel took place on Thursday, October 7, 2021 as part of the Understanding Drug Sentencing Symposium. The symposium was co-hosted by the Drug Enforcement and Policy Center and the Academy for Justice at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.

About the event:
Though mandatory minimum sentencing provisions are applicable in a variety of contexts, their use (and the trial penalties they often produce) are especially common in state and federal drug cases. In this panel, professors, advocates, and impacted individuals discussed the problematic impact of mandatory minimums in drug prosecutions and explored viable avenues for reform.

Moderator:
Douglas A. Berman, Professor and Newton D. Baker-Baker & Hostetler Chair in Law, Director, Drug Enforcement and Policy Center, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University

Panelists:
Erik Luna, Amelia D. Lewis Professor of Constitutional and Criminal Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
Mary Price, General Counsel, FAMM
Weldon Angelos, Advocate, Music producer, The Weldon Project