Women to women elaine bartlett life on the outside the prison odyssey of elaine bartlett
Elaine Bartlett, was a woman charged with a first offense felony for selling cocaine. Elaine, a mother of four children, spent sixteen years in the Bedford Hills prison in New York.. During the time of Elaine's arrest, New York had just undergone some major changes with their drug laws. The controversial Rockefeller drug laws caused a major upset and cause many to second-guess the criminal justice system's benign motives. After he release in 2000, Elaine had no proper resources to help her get back on track with her life but that was not an excuse for her. Bartlett was a woman on a mission who was going to prove to not only to herself, but to the world that she was going to make it. After having lived through sixteen years in prison, she became an activist to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws. Bartlett helped found the Mothers of the Disappeared which is an advocacy group that is fighting to try and repeal the drug laws. Not only has Bartlett helped found this organization, but she has also gone up against New York state legislators, and delivered speeches at rallies. Besides the Rockefeller drug laws, Bartlett has also made an impact in attending anti-drug law events in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Texas. While Elaine was still in prison, she wanted to be involved with as many activities as she possibly could in order to keep busy and to show that she had the full potential to better herself and get an education. In 1999, Bartlett obtained her associate degree from Mercy College while she was still in prison.
Contents
Thanksgiving service for the life of joan elaine bartlett
Life on the Outside
Life on the Outside, tells the story of not only Elaine Bartlett and her trials and tribulations of being in prison and having to deal with the Rockefeller drug laws but it also "is the story of the toll incarceration takes on family members." Elaine Bartlett was caught by police driving with Drugs in her car, and was harshly sentenced because of the Rockefeller laws. The book goes into great detail about the offense that was committed by Bartlett and who all was involved. "Bartlett agreed to take four ounces of cocaine by train from Grand Central Terminal to Albany, in exchange for $2,500." Bartlett didn't want the money for her own personal gain, but rather to buy furniture for her family's apartment and to put on a Thanksgiving dinner for her large extended family. George Deets, a drug dealer who was working as a police informer, set up Bartlett for the drug deal. Bartlett would later go on to be "sentenced by one of the toughest judges in Albany to 20 years to life under the Rockefeller drug laws." Deets would go on to testify that Bartlett was the one who had masterminded the drug deal even though Bartlett would later go on to try and explain her innocence in front of the court. Upon her release from prison, Elaine came home to what was now her family's very own prison. Her four children were dropping out of school, moving in with different families, and even her own two brothers were in prison. Elaine was determined that her children would break her family's cycle of incarceration, own a house big enough to fit her whole family, and for them to attend college no matter what.
Rockefeller Drug Laws
In the 1960s, before the Rockefeller Drug Laws were in existence, there was a popular "trend to reserve severe for higher-level drug traffickers while providing treatment lower-level offenders." But the rehabilitation programs for drug users began to only have limited space which started to put worry and fear in people. Not only did this strike fear in people from drug offenders, but also the fact that the rehabilitation programs were not very successful in treating the drug addicts. Not only was this occurring, but drug dealers were also pleading guilty to lesser charges in the courtroom. As a result of this, police officers and the courts were beginning to be discouraged to enforce the law since the offenders would take the guilty plea. So, Governor Rockefeller and the Legislation decided to take matters into their own hands by creating laws that would decrease drug trafficking and drug-related crimes in New York state. "These laws were enacted in 1973 and imposed severe, mandatory penalties on all levels of drug-offenders." While the Rockefeller Drug Laws may have seemed like a good idea at the time, they have "led many to believe that the Rockefeller Drug Laws have failed at both deterring drug use and protecting society from its effects, and that reform is necessary." "A judge was required to impose a sentence of 15 years to life for anyone convicted of selling two ounces, or possessing four ounces, of narcotic drug (typically cocaine or heroin). These laws became known as the Rockefeller Drug Laws." Although the Rockefeller Drug Laws may appear to be tough sounding and look harsh on paper, "the reality is that the laws have had little deterrent effect on drug use and drug crimes."