ANOTHER PANEL SAYS DRUG-FREE SCHOOL ZONES SHOULD SHRINK

TRENTON - New Jersey's current drug-free school zones are ineffective
and should be reduced in size and require stiffer penalties for
offenders, said a panel advising Gov. Jon S. Corzine is a report
released Tuesday.

Corzine's Task Force on Sentencing and Corrections recommended
reducing drug-free school zones and other drug-free zones from 1,000
feet of public property to 200 feet while upgrading drug-free zone
violations from third-to second-degree offenses.

The report said the two-decade old law had unintended consequences
that "diffused" the impact of the law. Mainly, the report said, the
large number of schools and public properties in urban areas created
large portions in cities falling into these zones.

"For this reason, the current zone law does not effectively deter
drug activities in urban centers and the legislative purpose -- to
create a safe haven for children around schools -- is thwarted," said
the report.

Corzine asked the committee in October, when he announced an
anti-crime initiative, to review proposals set forth by the state
Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing, which in 2005 reported
similar findings and made similar recommendations.

Both reports support expanding drug court eligibility for nonviolent
offenders, as well, because those receiving treatment have shown
lower recidivism rates than those released without treatment.

Corzine told reporters at a separate event Tuesday he "absolutely"
supports the recommendations.

"I think it is consistent with recommendations of other thoughtful
folks that are involved in challenging the crime issue and how we
deal with the repetitive nature of incarceration," Corzine said.

Upgrading drug-free zone violations to second-degree crimes,
punishable by five to 10 years in prison and fines up to $150,000,
would be done in the hope of creating a greater deterrent effect.
Third-degree crimes carry penalties of three to five years in prison
and fines up to $15,000.

Attorney General Anne Milgram said these changes in the law would
"toughen penalties for those who peddle drugs near our schools, which
was the original intent of the legislation -- to get the drug dealers
away from our children."

Another unintended consequence of the drug-free zones has been
creating racial disparity in the main offenders. Minorities make up
96 percent of those in prison for school zone offenses, the report
said.

All of New Jersey's county prosecutors supported the findings, said
Ronald Casella, president of the County Prosecutors Association of
New Jersey, who said amending the law is about treating all citizens
equally.

"Essentially, your urban dwellers are being treated differently than
people who lived in the suburbs and the rural areas because there
wasn't the same concentration," said Casella, the Cumberland County
prosecutor.