Mandatory Minimum Penalties: Their Effects on Crime, Sentencing Disparities, and Justice System Expenditures

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Table of Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. Scope of the review
• 3. Some theoretical and conceptual issues
• 4. Can offendersbe deterred?
  • 4.1 The Rational Choice Perspective
  • 4.2 Offender Characteristics
  • 4.3 Evidence on Deterrence and Incapacitation
    • 4.3.1 Deterrence
    • 4.3.2 Incapacitation
• 5. The Impact of Mandatory Minimum Sentences
  • 5.1 General Mandatory Sentencing Laws
  • 5.2 Mandatory Sentences for Firearm Offences
  • 5.3 Mandatory Sentences for Impaired Driving
  • 5.4 Mandatory Sentences for Drug Offences
  • 5.5 Estimating the Effects of Hypothetical Mandatory Sentences
• 6. Mandatory Penalties and Sentencing Disparities
  • 6.1 General Disparities and the Shift from Judicial to Prosecutorial Discretion
  • 6.2 Racial Disparity
  • 6.3 Effects of Mandatory Sentences on other Groups
• 7. The Economic Impact of Mandatory Sentences
  • 7.1 Court Costs
  • 7.2 Effects on Prison Populations
• 8. Other Issues
• 9. Conclusions
  • 9.1 Deterrence and Incapacitation
  • 9.2 General Mandatory Sentencing Laws
  • 9.3 Mandatory Sentences for Firearms Offences
  • 9.4 Mandatory Sentences for Impaired Driving
  • 9.5 Mandatory Sentences for Drug Offences
  • 9.6 The Impact of Hypothetical Mandatory Sentencing Policies
  • 9.7 Sentencing Disparity
  • 9.8 Some Adverse Effects of Mandatory Sentences
  • 9.9 Concluding Remarks
• 10. References
• APPENDIX A: Mandatory Minimum Penalties in the 2001 Criminal Code
• APPENDIX B: Private Members' Bills From 1999-2001

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