FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                                                 September 21, 2004

Major Religious Denominations Denounce Mandatory Sentencing Laws

CONTACT: Charles Thomas, Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative executive director 301-938-1577 Zoe Mitchell 202-253-2990

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Spokespersons for several of the nation’s largest religious organizations gathered on Capitol Hill on Tuesday morning to call for the repeal of federal mandatory sentencing laws, thereby restoring sentencing discretion to judges on a case-by-case basis. This groundbreaking news conference coincided with two timely developments in Congress: U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters’ introduction of a new bill (H.R. 5103) to repeal mandatory minimum sentencing laws and this Thursday’s mark-up of U.S. Rep. Sensenbrenner’s conflicting bill (H.R. 4547) to create new mandatory sentences for various drug offenses.

The National Council of Churches, United Methodist Church, Progressive National Baptist Convention, United Church of Christ, Unitarian Universalist Association, and the Church of the Brethren Witness sent spokespersons to the Rayburn House Office Building to present their denominations’ official positions denouncing mandatory sentencing laws. The Evangelical Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Episcopal Church, and the Union for Reform Judaism also oppose mandatory sentencing laws but were unable to attend. (These groups’ policy statements are available from IDPI upon request.)

In addition, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is on record in opposition to mandatory minimum sentencing laws, although they did not attend because they have not yet taken a position on H.R. 5103 or H.R. 4547. The USCCB's November 15, 2000 criminal justice policy statement includes the recommendation, “We must renew our efforts to ensure that the punishment fits the crime. Therefore, we do not support mandatory sentencing that replaces judges’ assessments with rigid formulations.”

“The nation’s leading religious organizations clearly recognize that mandatory sentencing laws are unjust and ineffective,” said Charles Thomas, executive director of the national Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative. “No denominations are known to support mandatory minimum sentencing. Can you think of any other issue on which the moral choice is so clear? Congress must defeat Rep. Sensenbrenner’s bill and pass Rep. Waters’ bill. It’s time to put on the brakes and turn toward justice and compassion.”

Other participants in the news conference included: Rev. Julius Hope, NAACP’s Religious Affairs director; Rev. Dr. Michael Bell, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice; Kasaundra Lomax, whose mother, Hamedah Hasan, is serving a 26-year mandatory federal sentence for a minor role in a drug distribution conspiracy; and Rev. Melissa Mummert, who is producing a documentary about Hasan.

Background: During the 1980s, Congress and many state legislatures passed laws forcing judges to give long, fixed prison terms to people convicted of certain drug crimes (including non-violent offenders). As a result, the U.S. is the world’s leading incarcerator, with more than two million people behind bars. In fact, 60 percent of federal prisoners are drug offenders. These laws disproportionately affect people of color: African-Americans comprise 15 percent of the nation’s illegal drug users but 74 percent of those sentenced to prison for drug offenses.

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