DEBATING DRUG LAWS' REPAIR

This advertisement, called "Stolen Lives," urges changes to the
Rockefeller-era drug laws. It was sponsored by the Center for Policy
Reform, an affiliate of the Drug Policy Alliance, and was pulled off the
air by two Spanish-language television stations in recent weeks after
objections from Gov. George E. Pataki's top aides.

PRODUCER Off Center Productions

ON THE SCREEN Relatives of people in prison under the drug laws' mandatory
sentences discuss their loved ones. "My son is a stranger to his father,"
one woman says.

THE SCRIPT An announcer says: "Thousands of New Yorkers have a family
member who must complete an obligatory sentence of up to 25 years under the
Rockefeller drug laws. These laws are some of the worst in the country, too
expensive and too cruel. Governor Pataki's reforms will not reunite these
families. Governor Pataki, we need real reform. New Yorkers are watching."

ACCURACY The governor's office says the highest sentence mandated by the
laws is 15 years to life for class A-1 felony convictions, but judges can
give sentences up to 25 years to life. According to the governor's office,
587 people are in prison for such convictions, therefore the statement that
thousands of New Yorkers have a family member in prison is a "shameless
disregard for the truth." But about 19,000 people are in state prisons for
drug offenses, and the Human Rights Watch estimates that 23,000 children
have parents incarcerated for drug offenses.

The statement that the governor's proposal would not reunite "these
families" could be misleading. Although the proposal would not change the
fate of most of those incarcerated, 535 of the worst offenders could seek
reduced sentences, according to the governor's staff, and 199 of those
could be eligible for immediate release. The Center for Policy Reform has
said that the statement refers to the people pictured in the ad, some of
whose relatives would not be eligible for release under the plan.