Recently, Gov. Paterson passed legislation that brought meaningful Rockefeller Drug Law reform to New York State. But it did not come easy. Opponents of the reforms fought tooth and nail and swore that bringing forth these changes would open the flood gates of hell. Thank goodness common sense prevailed. But...

On May 21, former major league baseball star Willie Mays Aikens testified at a U.S. House Judiciary Hearing about the harsh drug sentencing laws that put him behind bars for 14 years.

In 1994, Aikens was sentenced to nearly 21 years for crack cocaine distribution, bribery and gun...

Last week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger became the latest and most high-profile U.S. elected official to call for a debate on legalizing marijuana.

On May 12th, CBS News.com ran pro and con marijuana legalization opinion pieces by Ethan Nadelmann of the Drug Policy Alliance and actor...

On April 24, I attended an historic bill-signing ceremony that put another nail in the coffin to halt the 36-year reign of injustice promulgated by the Rockefeller Drug Laws of New York State. The ceremony took place in Corona, Queens, at the Elmcor Community Center. Governor David Paterson was...

On President Obama's 100th day in office the White House asked Congress to address the issue of disparity in penalties for the use of powder/crack cocaine. This historic request follows a national lobby day held yesterday that was co-sponsored by a dozen advocacy groups.

The day brought together voters...

April 20 is "National Pot Smoking Day." It's a day where people across the world celebrate in the conspicuous consumption of the magical herb, marijuana. It's an unofficial counterculture holiday that is based on the simple concept of smoking some cannabis and being happy.

The history of its...

Imagine putting a New York City comedian in a political showdown against the senior senator of New York State? Well, it may happen. There is talk of such a showdown floating around cyberspace. Randy Credico political activist and the official comedian of the Fred Dicker radio show is contemplating...

Bernie, you are about to face a living hell. How I do I know? In 1985, I was sentenced to 15 years to life under New York's draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws for a first time nonviolent drug crime. So I know all too well what your life is going to...

For most people, seeing their arrest mug shot on the New York Times homepage would be a nightmare. But for me, it was a blessing since it was part of a story that is near and dear to my heart. The reason my photo was on the site is because...

Talk about injustice. How do you wind up in prison serving two life terms for a robbery that netted 11 dollars? That question has haunted first time offenders Gladys and Jamie Scott for the past 15 years.

On December 24, 1993, Scott County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi arrested the...

Philanthropy in the form of purchasing and distributing oatmeal might sound strange, but to Noah Lukeman, president of Lukeman Literary Management, it's a way to quench his burning desire to help those who are less fortunate. As Noah says, "in New York City alone, more than one million people are...

When President Bush bid farewell to America in his last speech as president yesterday he clearly wished to highlight what he viewed as the successful moments in his 8-year presidency. The most meaningful moment to me -- and perhaps the strangest -- was when he acknowledged a former prisoner who...

Just about this time last year I wrote to Governor Elliot Spitzer asking him to go on a personal rescue mission and grant clemency to a large number of Rockefeller Drug Law offenders who have fully rehabilitated themselves and already served enormous amounts of time behind bars under the draconian...

On September 23rd at 7pm Troy Davis is set to be executed by lethal injection by the State of Georgia. He maintains his innocence in the 1989 murder of police officer Mark Allen MacPhail.
Davis was convicted on August 19, 1989. Since then several major witnesses

A coalition of concerned citizens in Alabama is shaking up the GOP with their goal of registering voters in the most unlikely of places -- state prisons. A voter registration drive led this week by Rev. Kenny Glasgow, began registering prisoners to vote, a right guaranteed under Alabama's State Constitution,...

The artist's role as social commentator and activist has historically been engrained in our culture. Art and its creation as a response to social and political issues can become powerfully influential in raising public awareness that results in positive change.

Art as a social weapon has been around...

How do you get sentenced to less prison time for committing a brutal murder than for a run-of-the-mill nonviolent drug offense? Just ask Robert Chambers, the infamous "preppy killer." He's agreed to a plea deal that will land him in prison for the next 19 years. That's four more years...

Dog lovers of the world unite. Our federal government's zero-tolerance anti-drug crusade reached a new low in Prince George's County, Maryland, when police killed two innocent pet Labrador retrievers while improperly conducting a SWAT-style drug raid on the mayor's house.

On July 29, police burst into the home...

Texas Ranger Josh Hamilton is the new golden boy of baseball. Hamilton's record-breaking performance in Major League Baseball's All-Star Home Run Derby at Yankee Stadium last week is a living testament to that fact that people who struggled with drugs in the past can change their lives in a...

Tatum O'Neal, the Oscar-winning actress, took a plea deal on July 2 stemming from her June 1 arrest while supposedly trying to score some crack cocaine in New York City's Lower East Side. She was initially charged with possession of a controlled substance and faced a year...