A mother’s plea: Get rid of mandatory minimum sentencing

Your Turn
Audrey Jennings Hudgins, Guest columnist
Tallahassee Democrat, 9/6/2019


Every punishment should fit the crime; we can all agree on that!

But what happens when the punishment goes far beyond serving justice, and becomes nothing more than cruel and unusual punishment?

My son, William, is serving a “natural life sentence,” meaning he will stay in prison until he is no longer alive.

Did my son commit murder? No. Did his crime involve physical harm to anyone? Again, no. There was no physical harm whatsoever.

My son’s crime was armed robbery, which of itself does not carry a natural life sentence. Under normal sentencing, my son would have received up to 16 years in prison.

So how did he receive a life sentence? Florida’s Prisoner Release Reoffender law. The PRR law is a mandatory minimum sentencing guideline that takes all discretion away from judges.

Local law enforcement dubbed my son the “gentleman robber” because he said “please” and “thank you” and gave his victim’s wallet back. However, this could not be taken into consideration, nor the fact that no physical harm was inflicted.

Under PRR guidelines, there is no choice but to give the maximum sentence allowed for the crime.

My son had been in prison before for non-fatal, no-physical-harm armed robbery, but was never offered any treatment for his drug addiction, which was what fueled his actions.

Now, I want to make it perfectly clear that my son should pay his debt to society. A crime was committed and there must be consequences. I support all fair and just punishments.

However, a life sentence cannot be justified for a non-fatal, no-physical harm crime. I believe this, and every person who has heard my son’s story agrees.

It is past time to change these unjust sentencing laws. My son was only 21 when he received his life sentence. He is 43 now, and has spent his entire adult life in prison.

He is not the same troubled, drug-addicted young man who was given a life sentence in 1997. He is a good man with a good heart. He deserves the chance to become the man God intended him to be before substance abuse took over his life.

My son will die in prison if these mandatory minimum life sentences are not changed.

For the $200 my son stole in 1997, it has cost the Florida taxpayer $20,367 per year just to house him as an inmate.

Please do not let my son – and all other sons, daughters, parents and loved ones who have received unjust life sentences under the PRR law – once again fall between the cracks of justice.

Help me to change these laws that have incarcerated far too many for far too long.

In March, I joined 250 Floridians in Tallahassee to try to convince our state legislators that it is past time for reform. My son has supportive family members who love and miss him more than words could say.

It is time to let all punishments fit the crime – it is overtime! More information can be found on Facebook by searching Operation Overtime Support.

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Audrey Jennings Hudgins is a Taylor County resident and founder of Operation Overtime.