Thoughts on mandatory sentences?

Mandatory sentencing is pure bs. From what I just read this young man was only defending himself, many of us here would have reacted the same way. This is something that needs to be addressed across the nation to make sure that injustices such as this don't happen anymore.

"It is better to risk saving a guilty man than to condemn an innocent one."

Voltaire

That sucks. Mandatory Minimum serves no purpose. The judge should have discretion on sentencing.

Mandatory sentences take away a judge's ability to take mitigating circumstances into account. They also create some horribly lopsided sentences ... take this young man's sentence, he could end up serving more time on an aggravated battery charge than someone else will serve for actually killing someone.