Gov. Eliot Spitzer exercised enormous courage and vision when he issued an executive order calling for the establishment of a commission on sentencing reform. He gave the commission a clear mandate to make recommendations on the future of criminal sentencing in New York in order to reform a system that is convoluted, complex and in disarray.

The commission's preliminary report contains some thoughtful, forward-thinking recommendations that would improve the quality and accessibility of substance abuse treatment and other community-based and institutional programming. Key among these are measures that would enhance certification and clinical training requirements for treatment providers, including Department of Correctional Services staff; expand merit time; expand work release and educational and vocational training in prisons; increase access to higher education in prison; and restore voting rights for people on parole.

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