Pubdate: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 Source: Record, The (Hackensack, NJ) Copyright: 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc. Contact: http://www.northjersey.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/44 Author: Lawrence Aaron SMALLER DRUG ZONES ONLY FAIR WITH ALL the potential criminal justice reforms being announced in recent months, it looks like there's some sort of tailwind driving the ship of state toward more realistic processing of felony offenders. Retroactive sentence reductions are being sought to address sentencing disparity for crack cocaine versus powder cocaine. Also at the national level, passage of the Second Chance Act would provide money for states to coordinate reentry programs for ex-offenders. At the state level, recommendations were made to expand eligibility requirements for the drug courts, proven successful at salvaging wasted lives and diverting thousands from prison. In addition to those advances, Governor Corzine's administration and Newark's mayor promised thoughtful programs to redirect the paths of recidivists. An attempt to redefine the school drug zone law is one proposal aimed at plugging a hole that swallows up many New Jersey defendants. Under the present school zone law, penalties for distribution of drugs are more severe within 1,000 feet of a school. A welcome reform effort The push to reduce the drug zone to 200 feet and stiffen the penalty in that smaller area is a particularly welcome reform effort in New Jersey, the state with the highest incarceration rate for drug offenses in the nation. Drug zones are among the most unjust aspects of the criminal justice system because of the heavy impact on urban communities. African-Americans and Latinos represent 96 percent of the convictions under the school zone law. Penalties are more severe for urban drug offenders than for residents of suburbs, where few schools are placed close to one another. With schools situated close together, virtually every drug offense becomes a violation of school drug zone law. Because cities are so densely populated, school drug zones overlap, meaning just about anywhere a drug transaction takes place, a more severe penalty is imposed. The result is considerably more jail time. Endorsing a plan to reduce the school zone last week, Governor Corzine heaped praise upon his newly created Government Efficiency and Reform Commission for agreeing that a reduced-size drug zone is appropriate. What's to praise? The group is only echoing recommendations already made at the end of 2005 by the state's Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing. Timetable needed There's little harm in self-congratulation, but it would be more productive to generate some sort of timetable, along with benchmarks that demonstrate criminal justice reform is more than a photo-op. Policy reforms progress sluggishly through the legislative process as it is, partly because "soft on crime" is a label elected officials seek to avoid. The commission moved at a slow and deliberate pace even when it was staffed. In spite of having no staff at all now, Chairman Barnett Hoffman is counting on the Legislature to recognize the commission's value and make it permanent. Looking progressive on the issue of prison reform is as easy as calling a press conference. That's a good strategy if all the administration wants is the appearance of progress. But for real change, something else is needed. Start with better program coordination. Beef up prison literacy, education and GED programs. Then move on to improving prisoner reentry by adopting the comprehensive support systems so effective in drug courts. Counseling programs and treatment for addiction are sparse, when in reality they are just as important as getting a job and a place to live. Return to the neighborhood with no prospects ensures a continued cycle of recidivism. Newark Mayor Cory Booker's heavily promoted reentry program is also foundering. It was adopted as the answer for many of the tough issues facing released felons in New Jersey's largest city. Booker's plan is plagued by the usual suspects -- funding, legislation and not enough job offers for ex-offenders. With all the fervor for prison reform, laying the statistical and theoretical foundation is the only way to get state legislators to go along. But at the present pace, with so many of the moving parts still not in sync, the prison population won't shrink fast enough to make even a dent in the state's billion-dollar prison budget. - --- MAP posted-by: Steve Heath