A short 7 minute movie about women in prison for drug offenses

I believe you will find this short documentary interesting as well as thought provoking.

The film illustrates the difficulty of a judge faced with sentencing guidelines that require more time than the judge feels is warranted in a specific case.

When the Sentencing Guidelines were put into effect, the idea was to eliminate the disparate sentences
received by offenders, with the same criminal history and other factors, depending on the geographic
location and beliefs of the various federal judges.

The unintended consequence is the removal of judicial discretion that allowed for extended
probation, counseling, and other community correctional resources that would better
serve the offender and the community itself.

Do you think Sentencing Guidelines serve the intended purpose?

Is judicial discretion something that needed to be eliminated?

Can you think of a middle ground?