Suppose you are asked to a favor for someone you know, and in return you would be fairly compensated. This favor includes the delivery of a heavy luggage bag to a location where someone will take it from you. Pretty easy favor to get paid for, right? Well this favor could have you facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in the federal prison system. Contained in the bag was 10 kilos of powdered cocaine. You didn’t ask questions because you thought you knew this person and you could use some extra cash. Although this is your first time ever being in trouble with the law, you are facing some serious jail time. Unfortunately, this is the case for many first-time non-violent offenders as a result of mandatory minimum laws. What are mandatory minimum sentences and what brought about the start of them? When offenses are considered non-violent crimes do they warrant mandatory minimum sentencing laws? Among the millions of people incarcerated, how many are affected by this law and what percentage are non-violent offenders? Has the mandatory minimum laws had any effect on the prison systems? These are all questions that arise when we discuss mandatory minimum sentencing. Within the last 30 years mandatory minimum laws have become a growing concern due to the rising over population in prisons and cost of incarceration to tax payers. Mandatory minimum laws are unjust and need to be reevaluated by Congress. Mandatory minimum sentences are sentences mandated by law for