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New York May Drop 'Rockefeller' Drug Laws

New York Gov. David Paterson unveiled a landmark deal on Friday that would scrap most of his state's so-called Rockefeller drug laws. The system of mandatory prison sentences has been criticized as harsh and too expensive ever since they were championed by Republican Gov. Nelson Rockefeller as part of the get-tough-on-crime movement that swept the country in the early 1970s.

Brian Mann reports for North Country Public Radio.

Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Corrected: March 30, 2009 at 4:00 PM MDT
We said, "Dan Donovan is DA in Rockland County and heads the State District Attorneys Association." Donovan is actually the district attorney for Richmond County.
Brian Mann
Brian Mann is NPR's first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.
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