Paterson rolls back Rockefeller drug laws.

March 27, 2009, 11:39am

Gov. David Paterson and lawmakers agreed Friday to ease up on tough narcotic-related sentencing provisions that were introduced in 1973.

(AP) - New York Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders have agreed to ease drug laws that were once among the harshest in the nation and led a movement more than 30 years ago toward mandatory prison terms.

The agreement rolls back some of the tougher sentencing provisions pushed through the Legislature in 1973 by then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, a Republican who said they were needed to fight a drug-related "reign of terror."

Critics have long claimed the laws were draconian and crowded prisons with people who would be better served with treatment.

Mr. Paterson said Friday that judges will now be able to use techniques like treatment and counseling that have proven more effective than prison for low-level offenders. At the same time, penalties will be toughened for drug kingpins.

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

Enough is Enough. Repeal the Arcane Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Enough is enough!

For 36 years, New York State’s Rockefeller Drug Laws have forced judges to hand down extremely harsh prison terms for the possession or sale of small amounts of drugs. This has resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted state resources, a severe racial disparity in state prisons, thousands of ruined communities, and no decrease in drug use or sales.

We now have an opportunity to enact real reform and put an end to these harsh and wasteful laws. That’s why it’s so important for you to take action today. Contact Governor Paterson today. Help reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws. There’s already momentum on this issue, but we must keep the pressure on.

Last week, the New York State Assembly passed a historic overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws by a vote of 96-46. This bill goes a long way towards reaching many of the goals communities and advocates have spent almost four decades pushing for.

But the fight isn't over. The same progressive bill has now been introduced in the New York State Senate where it faces a much tougher road to passage. Many senators have been intimidated by the scare tactics and misrepresentations of prosecutors who don't want to give up their power over New Yorkers' lives. And recent media reports suggest that Governor Paterson, who was once the strongest champion of Rockefeller reform, wants to cut a deal to put a band-aid on these fundamentally broken laws.

What we need is real reform, not piecemeal fixes.

So, it's up to all of us to remind New York’s lawmakers that power-hungry prosecutors do not run the state. And it's up to all of us to tell Governor Paterson that we need his leadership more than ever right now.

Contact Governor Paterson today. Help reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws. This is the best chance we've seen since the Rockefeller laws were passed in 1973 to actually get real reform of these harsh and wasteful laws.

But, New York’s government will not act if we do not lead the way. After you take action, please consider sharing this information with your friends and neighbors. We need a HUGE outpouring of support for this bill to overpower the prosecutors’ fear-mongering.

This is our chance. Let's go make it happen!

Sincerely,
Graham Boyd
Director, ACLU Drug Law Reform Project

© ACLU, 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004

LET THE REVOLUTION BEGIN!

Thanks for all you do!
Live your values. Love your country.
And, remember: TOGETHER, We can make a DIFFERENCE!

FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes, to advance understanding of human rights, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. This constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.