Mar 28, 2013 — This week as part of our Prison Time Media Project, producer Natasha Haverty is looking at some of the approaches cash-strapped states are taking to try and cut prison their populations.

Yesterday, we began the story of Jeff, a young man from western New York who fell into serious drug addiction and broke into a pharmacy to feed his habit. After spending years cycling through drug courts, unable to stay off drugs, he was sent to prison here in the North Country.

"It's very true to say that I as given a great opportunity at drug court and I failed. I failed at drug court. I failed. I'm going to prison, for years. That's the lowest of the low, that's the lowest I can think of before death."

But unlike many other inmates, Jeff was sent to a shock prison in Moriah, in Essex County, which focuses on life skills training and rehabilitation. Part two of our series takes us to Moriah Shock and finds Jeff at the middle of his prison sentence.  Go to full article

Mar 27, 2013 — When Governor Nelson Rockefeller pushed through his landmark drug laws in New York forty years ago, he argued that any alternatives to his new tough on crime zero tolerance approach had failed:

"I was on this kick of trying to get the addict off the street, into treatment. Now this was a beautiful concept, except it just didn't happen to relate to the realities because the pushers keep finding new people. And I have to say that as far as I am aware, there is no known, absolute cure for addiction."

But in recent years, those Rockefeller Drug Laws have gone through a series of reforms. These days, cash-strapped states like New York are struggling to reduce inmate populations so that they can close expensive prisons. Governor Andrew Cuomo plans to mothball two more correctional facilities downstate this year.

And reducing the number of people behind bars means experimenting with diversion programs for non-violent drug offenders: States are offering counseling programs, rehabilitation and therapy, and opening alternative, "drug courts." The goal is to battle drug addiction without incarceration.

This week, as part of our Prison Time Media Project, Natasha Haverty follows the journey of one man through a system that's trying to turn away from mass incarceration. Here's part one of her three-part series.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Mar 05, 2013 — A push to ban the fitness supplement DMAA brought a sports hero to the capitol along with parents who say they lost their son to the substance.

Senate co-leader Jeff Klein is pressing to ban the performance enhancing supplement DMAA, also known as Jack 3 D in New York, saying it causes dangerous conditions like rapid heart beat, a spike in blood pressure, and in some cases, death from stroke or heart attack.  Go to full article

Mineville-Witherbee, NY, Sep 28, 2012 — Two years ago, Moriah Shock Prison near Port Henry was next on the list of correctional facilities New York State wanted to close. Camp Gabriels near Saranac Lake and the Summit Shock Prison near Albany had already been shut down, and the prisons in Lyon Mountain and Ogdensburg were also on the chopping block.

But the local community and Essex County officials rallied enough support to keep Moriah open. Today, 188 men live on the spartan campus, set in a former mining facility at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains.

Corrections officers and some inmates at Moriah Shock say the prison's program offers a fresh start to men willing to work hard. But a quarter-century after the state's "shock" program was created, the question of whether it really works remains unresolved.

[CORRECTION: Martin Horn was misidentified earlier as former commissioner of New York's Department of Corrections. He is former commissioner of New York City's Department of Correction and Department of Probation, and headed Pennsylvania's Department of Corrections.]  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Sep 17, 2012 — This summer, the synthetic drugs known as bath salts alarmed emergency responders in Jefferson County. They dealt with unstable, violent users several times a day. But lawmakers and law enforcement at the local, state and federal levels have been responding with crackdowns on the drugs. Now, both police and hospital officials in Watertown say cases are down sharply.  Go to full article

Aug 06, 2012 — Like many other local governments in New York, responding to the bizarre behavior of people using the drugs known as "bath salts," Lewis County is considering a ban on many of the compounds used in synthetic drugs. Reporter Joanna Richards spoke to Sheriff Michael Carpinelli about why the ban is needed. Joanna Richards reports.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Jul 27, 2012 — Community meetings are popping up as fast as the bizarre stories surrounding a drug known as bath salts or glass cleaner. The drugs are sold in head shops and convenience stores; they are not typical bath products or window cleaners. As Joanna Richards reports, three meetings in Jefferson County this week aimed to address the growing drug problem.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Jul 26, 2012 — A first-ever nationwide raid on the synthetic drug industry was conducted yesterday, and hit stores in Watertown, Syracuse and around the area. As Joanna Richards reports, the raid follows a new federal law that bans many of the chemical compounds used to make synthetic drugs like bath salts.  Go to full article

Watertown, NY, Apr 02, 2012 — New York State has banned the sale of synthetic marijuana products. Marketed as "herbal incense" and sold under names like Spice and K2, the fake pot has been popular with people across the North Country, including Fort Drum soldiers. The post near Watertown recently announced it would ban soldiers from spending money at any businesses that sell synthetic pot. But as Joanna Richards reports, it now seems that won't be necessary.  Go to full article

Saranac Lake, NY, Dec 29, 2011 — "Spiraling out of control." And, "Almost an epidemic." That's how police, prosecutors, doctors, pharmacists and drug counselors describe the rise of prescription drug abuse in communities across the North Country.

While increased narcotic drug trafficking across the border with Canada is partly to blame, the relative ease of getting these drugs from doctor's offices and emergency rooms is also part of the problem. As Chris Knight reports, experts say solving the problem won't be simple, and the key is heightened vigilance of both law enforcement and the medical community.  Go to full article