Poll against mandatory minimum sentences

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- A new poll indicates a majority of U.S. citizens are against mandatory minimum prison sentences.

About 60 percent of respondents opposed mandatory minimums, which have been a key element in getting tough with drug offenders.

Nearly 80 percent said the term of sentence should be left up to the courts, the Christian Science Monitor, said Thursday.

"As a country we believe in individualized justice," said Julie Stewart, president and founder of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, which commissioned the poll.