Posted on   2/1/2012  12:44 PM

Congressional Republicans are calling for an overhaul of the federal sentencing system -- with tough new mandatory prison terms.

Why?

According to National Public Radio: U.S. Supreme has ruled that sentencing guidelines that federal judges use to figure out a prison sentence are only suggestions. Republicans say that has led to a lot of bad results.

"A criminal committing a federal crime should receive similar punishment regardless of whether the crime was committed in Richmond, Va., or Richmond, Calif., and that's why I am deeply concerned about what's happening to federal sentencing," Rep. James Sensenbrenner, a Republican from Wisconsin, said in a recent hearing, NPR reports.

As an example, NPR reports: “Judges in places like New York City have imposed sentences below the guideline ranges almost half the time. But judges only a few hours further north in New York are still following the guidelines.”

Amy Baron-Evans, who works for the Federal Public and Community Defenders, tells NPR there's nothing wrong with the way sentencing is done now, and Congress shouldn't take away the discretion judges have to evaluate each defendant case by case.

So will more of our children be growing up with parents behind bars? And will their parents be incarcerated longer?

It’s not clear.

The House Judiciary Committee is planning more hearings on the issue this spring, NPR reports.