Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good afternoon.
I'm Ryan King, a policy analyst with The Sentencing Project, a criminal justice policy organization located in Washington, D.C.
Our mission is to broaden the discussion regarding criminal and justice policy in the United States by bridging the gap between research and the policy and practitioner community while working toward a humane, fair, and effective criminal justice system. The Sentencing Project has been engaged in research and advocacy regarding the implications of mandatory minimum sentencing policy for two decades. We are a leading independent, non-profit organization that has authored a number of ground-breaking research publications and policy reports on sentencing issues in the United States. We welcome the invitation to address the standing committee about the American experience with this approach.
I would like to draw your attention to two important conclusions about mandatory minimum sentencing garnered from decades of accrued experience in the United States. First, empirical research has demonstrated that mandatory minimum sentencing fails to achieve the intended goal of a reduction in criminal offending, and secondly--