Roland Martin : John Alexander a victim of mandatory minimums . Alexander , who fired a gun into a wall , has been sentenced to 15 years . In a 2003 speech to the American Bar Association , Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy railed against federal mandatory minimums , saying , `` Our resources are misspent , our punishment too severe , our sentences too long . '' Martin says laws that give leeway in sentencing should be abolished .
Roland Martin : John Alexander a victim of mandatory minimums . Alexander , who fired a gun into a wall , has been sentenced to 15 years . Martin says laws that give leeway in sentencing should be abolished .