By The Times-Ledger
The governor selected these individuals because they have used their time in prison well. They have been model prisoners, one of the freed felons actually saved the life of a prison guard. These prisoners were selected because virtually everyone in the criminal justice system agrees that they don't belong in prison. They are first-time offenders caught up in the mandatory sentencing of the Rockefeller drug laws. In many cases, their sentences were harsher than those given to violent, repeat felony offenders. They are wasting their lives and the state is wasting your tax dollars.
The executive clemency is a good thing, but it is only a token gesture. The governor lacks the courage to address the real problem: the drug laws are grossly unfair. They were born out of the panic of the crack epidemic. The laws did little to slow drug abuse.
The Rockefeller drug laws should not be reformed. They should be scrapped altogether. We must pursue means of stemming the tide of drug abuse without needlessly destroying lives. It is unconscionable that these hastily written laws can compel a judge to put a first-time nonviolent drug offender in prison for life.
Take the case of Donna Charles, a Queens resident who was sentenced to 17 years to life for first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. When she entered prison, she was a young lady. Now she is 41. Note that she was not sentenced for selling or attempting to sell drugs, just possession. While in prison, she stopped a mentally ill prisoner from beating a correction official. During the 14 years that she has been locked up at incredible expense to you, she has worked with mentally ill prisoners.
This is not a question of getting tough and fighting crime. We are all for that. But those who pursue justice must be just themselves. The problem is that the legislature does not have the guts to change these laws. No one wants to looks soft on crime. Instead we settle for token acts of mercy at Christmastime. This is feel-good government, not justice.
Falling short
Schools chancellor Harold Levy has unveiled a plan to spend $75 million to improve bilingual education in the city schools. There are approximately 160,000 students in the system who speak limited English.
The money will be divided between two approaches: tradition bilingual classes and English as Second Language, or ESL. A recently released report shows that the latter approach has been more effective in helping students transition to learn the English language.
That has to be the primary objective. The faster students become comfortable speaking English the better. There is reason to believe that the bilingual approach often holds students back. Every language and national culture is worth preserving. However, to succeed, children must learn to conduct their affairs in English. If schools are ambiguous about this, if they feel that getting the children to speak and understand English is not the highest priority, then they will be cheating these children out of their future.
