It's a Start

ALBANY, N.Y. – New York Gov. David Paterson and legislative leaders have agreed to ease drug laws that were once among the harshest in the nation and led a movement more than 30 years ago toward mandatory prison terms.

The agreement rolls back some of the sentencing provisions pushed through the Legislature in 1973 by then-Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, a Republican who said they were needed to fight a drug-related "reign of terror." The strictest provisions were removed in 2004.

Critics have long claimed the laws were draconian and crowded prisons with people who would be better served with treatment. The planned changes would eliminate mandatory minimum terms for some low-level nonviolent drug felonies, cutting the prison population by thousands.

Not only cutting prison populations by thousands, but saving many thousands of tax payer dollars.

This needs to be expanded and done nationwide.. every single non-violent drug using related prisoner needs to be released... and felony convictions wiped off their records so they can get jobs.

Our justice system is just fucked up.. royally.. and it's far better than most other nations in the world. Every single day, many people are swept up in bullshit accusations and have their lives ruined forever. You don't get another life.. and the odds of winding up getting randomly screwed by a perversion of justice is probably better than you think.

Thank Gorak we at least have the ACLU... If you're looking for a place to donate some money, that's a good place. They need more attorneys badly.