Pubdate: Thu, 29 May 2008 Source: Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ) Copyright: 2008 Newark Morning Ledger Co Contact: http://www.nj.com/starledger/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/424 Author: Sue Livio, The Star-Ledger Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) LAWMAKERS LAUNCH EFFORT TO REDUCE MANDATORY PRISON TERMS With the state spending more than $331 million a year to incarcerate non-violent drug offenders whose criminal records make it nearly impossible for them to get jobs, lawmakers and drug policy experts announced a campaign today to reduce the state's reliance on mandatory prison terms. Action on the campaign will be swift, Assemblyman Joseph Cryan (D-Union) predicted at a Statehouse press conference. Cryan said he was confident the Legislature will pass a pending bill by the end of June that will give judges flexibility to reduce the length of prison terms of some future non-violent drug offenders. To aid that effort, the Drug Policy Alliance, a national group advocating the reform of what it sees as overzealous drug laws, released a report today the authors say will help convince lawmakers mandatory minimum sentences are both economically and morally harmful. The report said it costs taxpayers $46,880 a year to incarcerate one prisoner in New Jersey, where there are 28,000 inmates. One-third of those serving time are there because they were convicted of drug possession or low-level distribution. "No one wants to appear to be soft on crime. I know that's the big elephant in the room," Cryan said. "The time has come for us to change the way we do things from a lock 'em up, throw away the key philosophy. Let's understand that hasn't worked. "We'll use this report as a blueprint for a new future that balances cost with moral responsibility and public safety," Cryan said. Newark Mayor Cory Booker, who also participated in the press conference, said mandatory minimum prison terms exact a "heinous cost" on the public. "The current way we are going about the drug war is actually causing more crime, it's actually causing more hardship," Booker said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake