REFORMERS TARGET DRUG LAWS, JAIL TIME

Speakers Point Out Ineffectiveness of Long Sentences for Drug Offenders.

Gasps were audible from the audience of about 60 people Thursday
night as prison reform advocates described the lives of inmates
locked for years in solitary confinement cells.

The forum at Elmira College featured Richard W. Rich Jr., a former
Chemung County public defender and Elmira attorney, who described the
effect Rockefeller-era drug laws have had on prison sentences, and
Thomas Terrizzi, executive director of the New York State Prisoner
Legal Services, who told how inmates with mental illness -- an
estimated 17 percent of the state prison population -- see their
conditions worsen in special housing units.

Both speakers said long prison terms for drug offenders or inmates
who commit crimes are ineffective.

Rich said the Rockefeller-era drug laws, which mandate stiff
sentences for possessing or selling small amounts of narcotics, were
enacted under the mistaken belief that harsh sentences would help
combat the drug problem in New York.

"It hasn't," he said, noting that the recidivism rate for drug
offenders is higher than that for murderers.

Terrizzi said research shows that the longer a person is held in
solitary confinement, the less functional he becomes.

Terrizzi cited examples of inmates who were originally sentenced to a
few years in prison, but because they broke prison rules, were
assigned to special housing units, where some degenerate into mental
illness.

Some inmates serve their full terms in solitary confinement, and
become so destructive that their mattresses and clothes are taken
away, Terrizzi said.

When their sentence is served, they can be released directly from
solitary confinement to the street, he said, but noted some are
immediately confined to civilian mental institutions.

Many of those attending were planning on participating today in the
Interfaith Prison Pilgrimage Walks to Elmira and Southport
Correctional Facilities.

"I feel that there is a lot of cruelty in our nation and state," said
Christopher Barbera of Buffalo, a teacher. "There's a vengeful and
punitive spirit. One way to undo that heavy spirit is to be peaceful."

Today's marches are part of a statewide drive called Interfaith
Prison Pilgrimage at 28 state prisons. The Judicial Process
Commission in Rochester and the Western New York Peace Center in
Buffalo are organizing the walks, which are scheduled this week and
next week.

Local participants will travel by van between the two prisons and
then quietly walk a few miles near each facility.

The walk to the Elmira Correctional Facility will start at 8 a.m.
today at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 130 Oakwood Ave., Elmira
Heights. After walking near the Elmira prison, marchers will be
transported to the vicinity of the Southport Correctional Facility.