The current mandatory minimums for federal drug offenses were created by Congress in 1986 and 1988. Over 260,000 people have received mandatory minimums for a federal drug offense.

Who implemented mandatory minimums?

There are two types of federal sentencing laws: mandatory minimum sentencing laws, enacted by Congress, and the sen- tencing guidelines, enacted by the United States Sentencing Commission.

How did mandatory sentencing come about?

Beginning in the mid-1970s, Congress began to lengthen sentences, culminating in the 1984 Comprehensive Crime Control Act, which established mandatory minimum sentences and eliminated federal parole. ... “Truth in sentencing” policies also demanded that people serve their full sentences.