Negotiations Continue Over Reforming Rockefeller
Drug Laws
Progress continues to be made by negotiators in the New York State
Assembly and Senate seeking to reform the state's harsh Rockefeller-era
drug laws, the Associated Press reported June 3.
So far, the joint conference committee has initially agreed to
reduce a mandatory minimum 15-years-to-life sentencing statute to
three to 10 years.
Passage of the deal is contingent on changing the state's mandatory
sentencing laws for drug offenders who commit low-level "B"
felonies. Currently, an individual charged with a B felony who has
no prior nonviolent felony convictions automatically receives at
least 4-1/2 to 9 years in state prison.
About 5,000 inmates are serving time for B felony drug offenses,
more than double the number sentenced for A-1 and A-2 drug felonies.
The conference committee remains split on whether B-level drug
offenders should be directed to treatment instead of prison, and
if district attorneys should lose their authority to reject diversion
of offenders to treatment programs.
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