Albany reforms Rockefeller drug laws somewhat

Majority of the mandatory sentences will be eliminated but forcing someone into treatment in completely stupid.

Drug law reform to save $250M -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY

Under the agreement, drug court judges will have discretion to place addicted first- and second-time drug offenders into alcohol and substance abuse treatment

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So it is the judges who are going to make the diagnoses of addiction? I did not realize that they were taught how to do that in law school.

The fall back position here is.. you are in front of me, you have drug charges, quite obviously you have a drug problem, and any kind of drug problem is addiction, irregardless of usage rates or patterns.

Judges will also be granted the authority to dismiss all charges or seal records of offenders who successfully complete treatment

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If this authority actually used in a substantial amount of cases, then this is a very positive step. However I fear that judges discretion will be shaped by what he feels the appropriate stance is required to attain reelection, and in some cases with some judges it will not be offered all that often.

Outpatient, (pseudo)voluntary is not so bad, pay for a few counseling sessions and your record gets sealed or charges dismissed. But a mandated 6 month boot camp, or prison ran drug treatment is a bit excessive for the majority of cases, and this could be the easy way out to clear cases, just send em to boot camp.

We will see how this works out, it is a LOT better than the current policy. Treatment is a much more realistic approach than incarceration, I just fear that it will be overused, and people who are just casual users who happen to get caught with a possession charge will be routed into treatment, regardless of its necessity or not.