New York Drug Law Reform No Cure-All February 10, 2005
News Summary
The impact of recent reforms of New York's harsh Rockefeller-era drug laws has been far from universal, the New York Times reported Feb. 9.Even some of the women inmates who came to symbolize the injustice of the mandatory sentencing laws remain in prison. At the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, for instance, news reporters zeroed in on women jailed for 15 years or more on drug charges as the story heated up. Yet only about 10 of the 850 inmates in the facility will be released because of the reform bill passed late last year.
"They're happy that I'm leaving. But they're crying inside. Because they're missing me and at the same time they're wishing it was them. It's really sad," said Brenda Prather, one of the few inmates who will be released.
The reasons for the low release rate are varied. Few women were convicted of A-1 class felonies, which is the only class of offenses addressed by the reform law. Some such offenders already had been released due to clemency appeals or because they had participated in special programs. Moreover, women who have had poor records in jail are not likely to gain sympathy from judges responsible for shortening sentences.
Also, some inmates simply have not served enough time to gain release even under the shortened sentencing guidelines.
COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE: