Legal Commentary

New Report on Rockefeller Drug Laws

By Jeralyn

The New York Civil Liberties Union today released a report on the draconian Rockefeller drug laws.

The report – The Rockefeller Drug Laws: Unjust, Irrational, Ineffective – presents overwhelming evidence that New York’s mandatory minimum drug-sentencing scheme has failed to improve public safety or deter drug use. It documents the grave harm the drug laws cause to low-income communities of color, and it calls on lawmakers to adopt a public health approach to addressing substance abuse.

[More...]

“The Rockefeller Drug Laws have failed by every measure. They tear apart families, waste tax dollars and create shocking racial disparities,” said Donna Lieberman, NYCLU executive director. “Yet, after 36 years of failure, our state continues locking up the wrong people for the wrong reasons. Justice and common sense require comprehensive reform.”

The Rockefeller Drug Laws are the Jim Crow laws of the 21st Century. New York needs to act and repeal them once and for all.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on March 11, 2009 (boomark / email).