The Morning After the Rockefeller Drug Laws: Carey and Cuomo Implement Mass Incarceration in New York

Author

Lebwah-Taliah Sykes, Lehman College City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Award

2022

Document Type

Capstone

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

First Advisor

Dr. Benjamin Holtzman

Abstract

After Rockefeller Drug Laws passed in New York in 1973, the proportion of drug-related incarcerations remained steady for the following decade, despite overall incarceration numbers doubling. Fiscal constraints prevented Governor Hugh Carey from fully implementing drug laws, but he reallocated resources, increased the pool of people who were subject to longer sentences, made policy changes and contributed to a climate that laid the groundwork for prison expansions under Mario Cuomo. When fiscal constraints in New York State changed, Mario Cuomo’s criminal justice policy focused on implementing Rockefeller Drug Laws, resulting in mass incarceration in New York.

Recommended Citation

Sykes, Lebwah-Taliah, "The Morning After the Rockefeller Drug Laws: Carey and Cuomo Implement Mass Incarceration in New York" (2022). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/le_etds/24