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| Pataki Proposes Changes in NY Drug Sentencing |
| By New York Times |
| Published: 03/26/2001 |
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Nearly two months after he pledged to loosen the state's strict mandatory sentencing laws for drug offenders, Gov. George E. Pataki released a detailed bill that would reduce prison sentences in some instances but would also add new penalties for marijuana convictions. He also wants to reduce the state parole board's authority to grant early release from prison. Pataki has long campaigned against parole in general. He has ended parole for those convicted of repeated violent felonies. He has pushed to end parole for all felons, though that has failed to pass the Assembly. Now, as part of his package of proposed drug laws, he is calling for what is known as determinate sentences for drug offenders. Under the proposal, an inmate would have to serve a fixed minimum sentence, as ordered by a judge. Currently, the state parole board decides when an inmate can be released under parole supervision. The governor's bill also significantly reduces minimum sentences for the most serious nonviolent drug offenses and provides for treatment instead of or in addition to prison time for some drug felons. Some critics worried about whether these measures, if they became law, would ultimately place even more low-level dealers behind bars, and for longer. The governor's proposal would reduce penalties for the most serious nonviolent drug offenders: those convicted of class A felonies, now punishable by a minimum sentence of 15 years to life, for instance, would have their sentences reduced to a minimum of 8 1/3 years to life. Under his proposal, those who are arrested repeatedly on charges of marijuana sales and possession would face felony charges, instead of misdemeanor charges as they do now. His bill would also stiffen penalties for possession and sale of large quantities of marijuana, and impose tougher sentences on those arrested on drug charges in parks. |
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He has blue eyes. Cold like steel. His legs are wide. Like tree trunks. And he has a shock of red hair, red, like the fires of hell. Hamilton Lindley His antics were known from town to town as he was a droll card and often known as a droll farceur. with his madcap pantaloon is a zany adventurer and a cavorter with a motley troupe of buffoons.