Late last night, after more than five hours of heated debate, the NY State Senate voted to reform the Rockefeller Drug Laws.  The State Assembly has already passed the reform package, and Governor Paterson is expected to sign the finalized state budget shortly, which will make Rockefeller reform a reality.

Check out this video of Senator Eric Schneiderman, the sponsor of the reform legislation, defending his vote on the Senate floor.

State Senator Eric Schneiderman on Rockefeller Drug Law Reform from Michael Meade on Vimeo.

Now, thousands of future felony drug offenders will have the right to individualized justice in the court room, and judges will be able to sentence people to treatment and other alternatives to incarceration.  The State will allocate additional funding to these programs.  In some limited cases, people who are currently incarcerated under the Rockefeller Drug Laws will be able to apply for resentencing and release.

While this is not the end of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, if we have anything to do with it, it will be the beginning of the end.  Drop the Rock will continue to organize and advocate for the full repeal of the laws.

This is a great moment for justice in New York State, and a validation of our organizing efforts.  We should all feel very proud of this accomplishment.

Check out this video, produced by The Nation, covering Drop the Rock and its allies rallying outside of Governor Paterson’s NYC office.

Governor David Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have reached a deal to significantly reform the harsh Rockefeller Drug Laws.  This agreement is not the end of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, but if we have anything to do with it, it is the beginning of the end.

The compromise, which will not become law until it is voted on as part of the state’s overall budget, represents a breach in the mandatory sentencing wall — a significant step forward in that it restores judicial discretion for broad categories of first and second time drug offenders.  If passed, the law is expected to allocate $50-$80 million in additional funding for alternatives to incarceration and drug treatment programs in prison and in the community. The bill’s principal shortcoming is that it leaves intact mandatory sentencing provisions that will still give prosecutors too much power to control the outcome of a large number of drug cases.

Here is an analysis of the proposed legislation.

Read more…

Rally to End the Rockefeller Drug Laws

Wednesday, March 25 at 1:00pm
Governor Paterson’s NYC Office
633 3rd Ave. (3rd Ave. between 40th and 41st sts.)
Rockefeller Rally Flyer

In 2002, Senator David Paterson was arrested in an act of civil disobedience organized by the Drop the Rock Campaign promoting the sweeping overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws outside of the New York City offices of then-Governor George Pataki. 

On Wednesday, March 25, hundreds of family members, formerly incarcerated persons, doctors, lawyers, and advocates will return to this site to urge him and legislative leaders to end the Rockefeller Drug Laws this year.  

The word from Albany is that lawmakers are getting closer to a final package, we need a strong showing in the streets now more than ever to remind the state’s leaders of the stakes of failing to end these laws once again.

Please join us as we say NO to over 35 years of injustice.

For more information contact Caitlin Dunklee at cdunklee@correctionalassociation.org or (212) 254-5700 ext. 339.

Drop the Rock is accepting applications for Summer Interns:

Do you believe that incarceration is an ineffective response to the social, economic, and medical problems which drive drug-related crime?  Apply today to work as a Summer Intern with the Drop the Rock Campaign to Repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Read more…

Please help Drop the Rock reach its goal of collecting 35,000 petition signatures calling for the repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

We have 13,000 to go, and here are 3 ways to help!

1. Gather as many petition signatures as possible and bring them to the next Drop the Rock meeting on Wednesday, January 7^th at 6PM or send them to the Correctional Association. (Download petition here: 35th Year Petition.)
2. Post the electronic petition on your MySpace and Facebook pages, and add the petition link to your email signature (see below).
3. Forward this message to your friends and family, and encourage them to sign the electronic petition by clicking here: http://www.droptherock.org/?page_id=37

For every 50 signatures you collect for repeal, you will receive one ticket for the Rockefeller Raffle, which will be held in February.  Prizes will include entertainment tickets, dinner gift certificates, and other gifts.

The Correctional Association released a brief position paper recommending policy reforms which would improve our justice system and save the fiscally strapped state over $450 million annually.

Download: Reform Criminal Justice Policies, Cut Government Costs

Recommendations include:

• Closing underutilized prisons,
• Repealing the Rockefeller Drug Laws,
• Increasing work release eligibility and participation; and
• Diverting technical parole violators from prison.

These and other measures can make the criminal justice system more fair and efficient, while increasing public safety and reducing exorbitant costs.

Please make use of this document and distribute it as you see fit, and feel free to contact Caitlin Dunklee, Drop the Rock Coordinator, with questions and comments at 212-254-5700 x 339.

Check out Drop the Rock’s new fact sheet which presents Governor David Paterson’s previous statements and actions in support of sweeping reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws.  Click here to print out the fact sheet: Paterson for Reform.

Governor Paterson,

This is what you said as a State Senator from Harlem:

• “As a member of the New York State Legislature, concerned about the unfairness and waste caused by the state’s harsh narcotics statutes, I, David A. Paterson, endorse…the Aubry Drug Law Reform Bill.” Statement of Support for Reform of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, signed March 21, 2000.
• “…I think the Rockefeller Drug Laws have unfairly put people behind bars and destroyed their lives over, sometimes, one evening’s mistake in which no one else got hurt…” (Metroland Article, June 19, 2003)
• “New York State has, by far, the harshest drug sentencing option for this offender [low-level drug seller with a prior non-violent felony conviction] in the entire country.” March 17, 2004

This is what you did as a State Senator from Harlem:

• You were arrested in an act of civil disobedience protesting the Rockefeller Drugs Laws outside of Governor Pataki’s office in 2002.
• You undertook an expansive study on drug policy in the U.S. to identify best practices in 2004.
• You proposed an overhaul of the Rockefeller Drug Laws which included restoration of broad judicial discretion in 2004.

This is what you say as Governor:

• “I haven’t changed my opinion on this one iota and certainly want to fight for Rockefeller Drug reform.” May 22, 2008 WAMC.

Now…what will you do?          

On October 4, Drop the Rock took to the streets to build political leverage in twenty communities that are negatively affected by the Rockefeller Drug Laws.  With over 150 volunteers statewide, we exceeded our own expectations on Empowerment Day, gathering approximately 5,000 signatures calling for the repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and registering almost 400 new voters.

In addition to the stories on various news channels and radio stations, Empowerment Day was covered in the NY Times and Albany Times Union.  See below.

Read more…

Empowerment Day is this Saturday, October 4^th from 10am-2pm!

Empowerment Day has taken root in over 20 neighborhoods across New York City and State.  Let’s work together over the coming days to turn out hundreds of volunteers, and reach as many New Yorkers as possible. Click here for a list of our neighborhood posts.  Click here to download an Empowerment Day flyer. 

Can you make it on Saturday, October 4^th to help Drop the Rock educate New Yorkers about the Rockefeller Drug Laws, and register voters?

We need your help.  Please contact Caitlin Dunklee, Drop the Rock Coordinator, at 212-254-5700 x 339 or cdunklee@correctionalassociation.org if you are able to join your neighborhood team on Saturday, October 4^th. 

 We won’t stop until we Drop the Rock!