CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS REHABILITATION OF ADDICTS IN PRISON

Gov. Johnson Meets With Mothers Whose Children Were Imprisoned For Drugs

Gov. Gary Johnson and six mothers said Tuesday that prison sentences for
nonviolent drug offenders are excessive and that rehabilitation of addicts
should be stressed more.

The women, whose children have been imprisoned for drugs, met with Johnson
during a news conference in the Hyatt Regency in Albuquerque.

The women belong to "Mothers of the Disappeared," an organization that is
kicking off a national drive "to call attention to America's failed war on
drugs and its effects on families and communities," according to a recent
press release. The women are on a seven-day tour in the West.

Johnson, well-known for his calls to reform the nation's drug laws, said a
distinction should be made between nonviolent drug crimes and crimes that
harm others. He said more money should go toward education and rehabilitation.

He said he was saddened when he read the mothers' stories before the
conference.

"I wanted to cry," Johnson said. "This is putting a human face on the war
on drugs."

Teresa Aviles, of New York, whose son died in prison at the age of 33, said
judges should be able to use discretion in drug cases. She said her son,
Isidro, agreed to make a drug deal but did not have any drugs at the time
of his arrest.

"My son had never been in trouble in his life," she said.

Aviles said Isidro's 23-year sentence destroyed his family's life and left
his three daughters without a father.

Aviles said that because of discrepancies on her son's death certificate,
she still isn't sure how he died.

Elaine Bartlett, also from New York, said she was arrested at the age of 26
for delivering four ounces of cocaine to an undercover cop and spent more
than 16 years in maximum-security prison. Her husband is still in prison
for the same offense, with eight years remaining, and her son was just
released.

Bartlett said the "time should fit the crime" when it comes to drug
charges. She said more money should go to building communities instead of
building bigger prisons.

She said strict drug laws aimed at kingpin dealers affect common people not
the ones in charge of the trade. Bartlett said inmates often become drug
addicts in prison because they can't cope.

"If you lock us up and treat us like animals, what are you going to have
return to society?" she said.