Revising Mandatory Minimums, Defund The Police, Or Drug Courts: How Best To Reform The United States Criminal Justice System

Abstract

This paper addresses three methods of reform to the United States criminal justice system. It discusses mandatory minimum sentences, sentencing disparities, racial bias, drug courts, and the Defund the Police movement, analyzes the issues and benefits associated with each of these areas, and specifies the disproportionate impact many of the system’s flaws have had on people of color and poor communities. It argues that a combination of adjustments relative to mandatory minimum sentences, drug courts, and the Defund the Police movement would provide the best outcome for improving many of the issues within the system.