Families Against Mandatory Minimums

"FAMM" redirects here. For the airport, see Mahikeng Airport.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1991 to challenge mandatory sentencing laws and advocate for criminal justice reform.[1] FAMM promotes sentencing policies that give judges the discretion to distinguish between defendants and sentence them according to their role in the offense, the seriousness of the offense, and their potential for rehabilitation. FAMM's members include prisoners and their families, attorneys, judges, criminal justice experts, and concerned citizens. In 2018, The Washington Post described FAMM as "one of the leading organizations that have pushed for criminal justice changes."[2]

The organization's founder, Julie Stewart, started FAMM shortly after her brother was convicted of growing marijuana plants near his home and given a mandatory five year federal prison sentence.[3]

FAMM organized lobbying efforts in support of the First Step Act, a law which reforms the U.S. federal prison system and seeks to reduce recidivism and decrease the federal inmate population.[4][5] The organizers succeeded in their efforts and the Act was passed by the 115th Congress and signed into law in December 2018. It changed U.S. federal criminal sentencing laws, among other reforms.[5]

  1. ^ Smith, Mitch (February 15, 2019). "A New Law Made Him a 'Free Man on Paper,' but He Died Behind Bars". New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  2. ^ Min Kim, Seung (November 14, 2018). "Trump endorses bipartisan criminal-justice reform bill". Washington Post. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  3. ^ Johnson, Dirk (November 8, 1993). "As Mandatory Terms Pack Prisons, Experts Ask, Is Tougher Too Tough?". New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. ^ Blinder, Alan; Medina, Jennifer (December 20, 2018). "He Was Sentenced to Life for Selling Crack. Now Congress Wants to Reconsider". New York Times. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b "The First Step Act of 2018: An Overview" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. March 4, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2020.