Pubdate: Fri, 11 Jan 2008
Source: Newsday (NY)
Copyright: 2008 Newsday Inc.
Contact:  http://www.newsday.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/308

DA KATHLEEN RICE'S 'DRUG DEAL' WORTH A TRY

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a rather famous New Yorker,  once said, 
"It is common sense to take a method and try  it. If it fails, admit 
it frankly and try another. But  above all, try something." That's 
good advice in the  war on drugs. And it's why the bold, 
second-chance initiative for suspected drug dealers that 
Nassau  District Attorney Kathleen Rice recently launched 
in  Hempstead Village is worth a try.

Yes, it's controversial. Any time you give people  caught 
dead-to-rights dealing drugs a chance to stay  out of prison, some 
people are going to complain.  Loudly. But Rice's initiative also 
offers law-abiding  residents in the area of Terrace Avenue and 
Bedell Street reason to believe that they don't have to  continue 
living with drugs and crime. That's more  important than the fate of 
any one drug dealer.

The area is the most notorious open-air drug market in  Nassau 
County. The trade has flourished there for  decades and the rote law 
enforcement drill - arrest,  prosecute, convict and imprison - hasn't 
done much to  improve the situation. Hundreds of people were arrested 
in the area for drug offenses over a recent five-year  span, and the 
marketplace is still open for business.

It's time to frankly admit that the traditional  approach hasn't 
worked. It's just common sense to try  something different.

The initiative chosen by neighborhood residents, Rice  and village 
police, offers a deal to people who are  caught selling drugs - if 
they have no history of  violent offenses. First they're invited to a 
meeting  where they're confronted with video evidence of their  drug 
dealing. More important, they're confronted by  area residents who 
want them to abandon the criminal  life.

The offer? Quit dealing. Stay out of trouble. Take  advantage of the 
county's network of social services  for things such as drug 
treatment, education, housing  and job training. Change your life. 
Those who accept  the deal avoid prosecution. Those who refuse to try 
and  those who commit another crime go to prison.

So far Rice has offered that one-time deal to 17  suspects. Will it 
work? A city in North Carolina where  it's been tried reports 
promising results. And if it  doesn't work here? Try something else.
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MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart