Pubdate: Mon, 29 Jul 2002
Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (NY)
Copyright: 2002 Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.democratandchronicle.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/614
Author: Joseph Jozkowski

GROUP RAPS PATAKI EFFORT ON DRUG LAWS

TV Ad Says Governor's Plan Doesn't Redirect Emphasis To Rehabilitation

(July 26, 2002) - ALBANY - Advocates for drug-law reform renewed criticism 
of Gov. George Pataki's lack of progress on the issue, unveiling a TV 
advertisement Thursday that calls for changes in the sentencing laws.

The ad, paid for by the group Drug Policy Alliance, says Pataki's plan for 
changing New York's Rockefeller-era drug laws is too weak to be effective. 
The ad features Mary Mortimore, the mother of a man serving 15 to 30 years 
on a low-level drug offense, and former state Sen. John Dunne. The ad is 
set to run for two weeks on New York 1, an all-news network in New York 
City; Dunne said the ad also would be translated for Spanish-language networks.

Dunne, a sponsor of the 1973 package of drug laws viewed by some reformers 
to be among the harshest in the nation, now calls them a "well-documented 
failure" in the ad.

"The governor's reform will also fail if it does not effectively redirect 
people and resources away from prison to treatment and rehabilitation," 
Dunne says in the ad. Mortimore, a Schenectady resident with a terminal 
illness, makes an emotional plea for the release of the son she says she 
hasn't seen in 10 years. The Pataki administration called the ad campaign 
"political games."

The drug laws, passed in 1973 under Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, mandate prison 
time for anyone convicted of a second felony and enforce a sentence of 15 
years to life for those convicted of selling 2 ounces or possessing 4 
ounces of narcotics. Pataki, a Republican, said last year that rewriting 
the laws was one of his top priorities.

However, activists said Pataki hasn't pushed for true reform and has made 
unrealistic promises about releasing some prisoners in a matter of weeks if 
his plan is adopted.

The governor's plan would shorten the harshest sentences and put more 
people into drug treatment. Critics say Pataki's plan doesn't give judges 
enough sentencing discretion, leaves prosecutors with too much power over 
who gets drug treatment and doesn't change the threshold weights for felonies.

A Pataki spokesman said the group was playing political games and said the 
governor had a "smart, balanced plan."

The governor's plan would "give some additional discretion to judges and 
realize the value of rehabilitation," said spokesman Michael McKeon. He 
said Pataki's plan would recognize the role that prosecutors should play in 
sentencing. Talks between the governor and the Legislature to reform the 
laws broke down in June.

This isn't the first TV ad groups have produced to criticized Pataki on the 
issue. In June, Spanish-language television stations in New York City 
pulled an ad paid for by the Drug Policy Alliance after Pataki aides said 
it was inaccurate.

The Pataki administration claimed the ad misstated the number of people in 
jail serving top sentences for drug crimes. But detractors claim Pataki 
aides were trying to silence criticism of the governor in the Latino 
community, where Pataki has been courting Hispanic voters in his bid for 
re-election.

"If he wants to do something palpable (for Latinos), he can change these 
laws," said Randy Credico, a spokesman for the Mothers of the New York 
Disappeared, a group of family members of jailed drug offenders.

About the new ad, Dunne said: "There's nothing in regards to factual 
content that would be in any way disputable."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens