United Methodist Church Urges Congress to Repeal
Mandatory Minimum Sentences
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By Jim Winkler, General Secretary of the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society
September 21, 2004

The United Methodist General Board of Churches and Society (GBCS) calls on Congress and the President to support U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters’ New Sentencing Reform Bill (H.R. 5103). Repealing federal mandatory minimum sentencing laws will restore sentencing discretion to judges on a case-by-case basis.

It is time to restore common sense and decency to our nation’s judicial process. Two decades after enactment of mandatory minimum sentences, these laws have failed to deter people from using or selling drugs. As a matter of fact, drugs are cheaper, purer and more easily obtainable than ever.

The United Methodist Church reaffirmed its position on this matter four years ago stating that “The church has a fundamental role in reorienting the public debate by shifting focus from punishment to prevention and treatment…” Also “Other changes need to obtain equal justice in the courts include: the provision for court-fixed sentences, rather than mandatory ones, in order to draw upon the skills and training of qualified judges.” (Book of Resolutions 2000, #73, Drug and Alcohol Concerns,” and #233, “Equal Justice”).

The Church’s Social Principles (Paragraph 164.F) assert that: “A wide array of sentencing options serves to express community outrage, incapacitate dangerous offenders, deter crime, and offer opportunities for rehabilitation. We support government measures designed to reduce and eliminate crimes that are consistent with respect for the basic freedom of persons.”

In addition, GBCS signed the Interfaith Drug Policy Initiative’s 2004 statement on sentencing reform, which states, “To ensure that an individual’s punishment fits the crime, judicial discretion should be restored. Accordingly, we advocate the repeal of mandatory minimum sentences.”

Therefore, GBSC joins the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Council of Churches, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Progressive National Baptist Convention, Church of the Brethren Witness, United Church of Christ, Union for Reform Judaism, Unitarian Universalist Association, Progressive Jewish Alliance, Religious Affairs division of the National Association of Black Criminal Justice, and Church Women United in call for support of H.R. 5103.