Eight of the 13 lawyers who have served as New Jersey's attorney general over the last three decades have signed a letter in support of a bill scheduled for a Senate vote Thursday that would let judges waive mandatory minimums now required for nonviolent offenders who deal small amounts of drugs in school zones.
The signatories were: John J. Degnan, Robert Del Tufo, W. Cary Edwards, Zulima Farber, John Farmer, Peter C. Harvey, Deborah T. Poritz and James Zazzali (five Democrats, two Republicans and an independent). In their letter to Gov. Jon Corzine and lawmakers, released publicly by the Drug Policy Alliance, they wrote:
"Mandating sentences for nonviolent drug offenders regardless of individual circumstances wastes money and does not increase public safety. A compelling body of evidence, including outcome data from New Jersey’s own drug courts, indicates that drug treatment can be effective in treating offenders’ addictions, enabling them to lead productive, law-abiding lives. In short, drug treatment for carefully screened nonviolent offenders can save lives, cut crime and reduce costs. When this happens we all win."
Not signing were Irwin Kimmelman (1982-86), Peter Perretti Jr. (1989-90), Peter Verniero (1996-99), David Samson (2002-03) and Stuart Rabner (2006-07) -- all Republicans except for Rabner, for what that's worth, though Samson served under Democratic Gov. Jim McGreevey.
Verniero and Samson are currently serving on Gov.-elect Chris Christie's transition team, and Rabner is the chief justice of the state Supreme Court, which could explain their abstentions.