Generally, mandatory minimums are associated with federal courts. However, Illinois state courts also impose mandatory minimum sentencing for drug trafficking convictions.

Mandatory minimums are controversial, as judges are forced to impose a minimum sentence for a particular set of crimes (in this case drug trafficking), which is typically quite severe.

These minimums are imposed regardless of the defendant’s criminal history, and any mitigating circumstances surrounding the offense.

Many times, judges don’t agree with these sentencing guidelines but are required to [...]