Analysis of the Impact of Mandatory Minimum Sentencing
How much do mandatory minimums matter?
GPT Abstract Summary
Mandatory Minimum Sentencing (MM) has been identified as a major cause of long-term sentences among federal drug offenders. However, prosecutorial discretion in the indictment process makes it difficult to precisely measure the causal effect of MM. The study shows that prosecutors tend to select racial minority defendants as subject to MM more than white defendants, which leads to biased results in simple analyses. Using regression discontinuity design and extrapolation methods to separate legislative effects from prosecutorial selection effects, the results indicate that MM increases sentence length by approximately 10 months (14%) without evidence of racially differential effects. Thus, racial disparities are suggested to arise from prosecutorial charging decisions rather than the statutory provisions themselves.
Key Points
- Prosecutors select racial minority defendants as MM subjects more frequently, causing bias in simple effect estimates.
- Using regression discontinuity design to separate legislative and prosecutorial selection effects, it was confirmed that MM consistently increases sentence length by about 10 months.
- Racial disparities in MM sentence length arise from prosecutorial charging decisions rather than the statutory provisions.
Scope and Limitations of the Summary
This English translation is based on a Korean summary generated from the source abstract. It is not a review of the full paper. Consult the original for detailed methods, figures and the scope of the conclusions.
This summary is based on the paper's abstract and does not include detailed research methods or additional statistical data. Furthermore, specific variables in actual legal applications or regional differences are not reflected as they are not covered in the abstract.
This summary does not represent the official views of Professor Haksoo Ko or the Center for Law & Economics at Seoul National University.
Summary Basis: Original Abstract · Model: gpt-4.1-mini · Generated: 2026. 10. 02. 01:59 (Korean Standard Time)