Rockefeller Drug Laws

Quietly, the NYS Legislature has passed significant changes to the so-called Rockefeller drug laws. The Governor has indicated he will sign the "reforms." Most critics of the laws condemn them for being too harsh, especially for first time offenders. As this Google search reveals, the word "draconian" seems to go hand in hand with this issue in the lefty media. But not everyone is in favor. The NYS District Attorney's Association is opposed to any change, saying it would remove any leverage to force pleas. They argued in a 2002 letter that,

Unfortunately, concerns over isolated and rare lengthy prison sentences resulting from mandatory minimum sentences for AI drug offenses have fueled the distorted, across-the-board campaign of advocates, some of whose true agenda appears to be decriminalization of drug dealing. These special interest groups have promoted the dangerous myths that our prisons are filled with non-violent drug possessors, that most drug sellers are addicts who sell to finance their habits, and that judges currently lack discretion to differentiate between drug addicts and predatory dealers. These myths have taken root in much of the media coverage of these issues and have generated some well-meaning proposals for "reform" that, if adopted, will not only release predatory and violent drug dealers into our communities, but in the bargain will undermine the successful treatment of truly addicted offenders.

Base10 would like to remind readers of two points. First, New York State and New York City did not see the most massive reductions in crime in their history because we gave drug users and drug dealers a free ride. Second, the same members of the judiciary who advocate for changes to the law are the ones responsible for their passage. If judges had not completely abrogated their responsibilities to the public therby creating a revolving-door criminal justice system, there would have been no need for the Rockefeller laws in the first place. New York will rue the day that these so-called "reforms" take effect.
- posted by Base10 @ 1:34 PM