Molly Gill on Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)

Host Doug McVay speaks with Molly Gill, Molly Gill, Government Affairs Counsel for Families Against Mandatory Minimums. 

Molly Gill is FAMM’s government affairs counsel. She works with federal legislators, affected family members, and other criminal justice stakeholders to promote sentences that protect public safety and that are proportionate to the offense. She also serves as a commissioner on the District of Columbia Sentencing and Criminal Code Revision Commission.   Her writings have been published in numerous journals and newspapers, including The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Times, Huffington Post, Sojourners Magazine, and the Federal Sentencing Reporter.

In 1990, Julie Stewart was public affairs director at the Cato Institute when she first learned of mandatory minimum sentencing laws. Her brother had been arrested for growing marijuana in Washington State, had pled guilty, and — though this was his first offense — had been sentenced to five years in federal prison without parole. The judge criticized the punishment as too harsh, but the mandatory minimum law left him no choice. Motivated by her own family’s experience, Julie created Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) in 1991. FAMM is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization fighting for smart sentencing laws that protect public safety. http://www.famm.org/