HOLIDAY CLEMENCIES

To the Editor:

Re "In Holiday Rite, Pataki Grants Clemency to 2 Drug Offenders" (news
article, Dec. 25): Perhaps Gov. George E. Pataki's repeated use of his
clemency power to release Rockefeller drug law offenders does "signal his
unease" with New York's harsh laws, but it is a mixed signal at best. The
legislation offered by the governor earlier this year falls far short of
his promise for dramatic reform, and offenders like those offered clemency
would still be subject to unduly harsh sentences.

The governor's pattern of granting holiday clemencies to drug law offenders
should be a signal that too many people are trapped in the injustices of
these laws. Perhaps next year the governor will finally offer a proposal
for meaningful reform. Fair sentencing should not be a holiday rite for a
select few, but a year-round right for all.