Jacob Sullum on Mandatory Guilty Pleas

Before Weldon Angelos received the equivalent of
a life sentence for three small-time marijuana sales, prosecutors
offered him a plea deal that would have resulted in 40 fewer years
behind bars. When the penalty for going to trial can be that heavy,
says Senior Editor Jacob Sullum, it’s not surprising that only
three percent of federal drug offenders choose that option. Sullum
explains how mandatory minimum sentencing rules force drug
offenders to plead guilty.

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