Stories by Anthony Papa

Anthony Papa, author of 15 To Life: How I Painted My Way To Freedom, is Manager of Media Relations for the Drug Policy Alliance.

Wishing an Unhappy 40th Anniversary to the Rockefeller Drug Laws that Cost Me 12 Years of My Life

Posted on: May 8, 2013, Source: AlterNet

New York's draconian sentencing laws, which became the template for the country, have been reformed somewhat. But they still have a long way to go.

Michael Douglas' Son to Serve Extra Prison Time for Using Drugs Behind Bars

Posted on: Apr 16, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Like many other incarcerated addicts, Cameron Douglas relapsed while locked up. But more jail time will not help him get clean.

My Valentine's Day: 28 Years Ago Today I Was Sentenced to 15-to-Life

Posted on: Feb 14, 2013, Source: AlterNet

My wife held her face in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks: the vision would haunt me for years to come.

A Case Study in Treating Pain Without Narcotics

Posted on: Dec 5, 2012, Source: AlterNet

A chiropractor is helping patients with acute, chronic and even treatment-resistant pain.

Many Former Prisoners Don't Know They Are Eligible to Vote

Posted on: Nov 6, 2012, Source: AlterNet

If you are on probation, your right to vote is never taken away.

Michael Phelps: Greatest Olympian Ever (Who Also Happened to Smoke Pot)

Posted on: Aug 2, 2012, Source: AlterNet

How Phelps' Olympic success can help disprove the stigma applied to pot smokers.

NYC: Drop the Case Against Activist Arrested After Filming Cops

Posted on: Jul 26, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Ex-Argentinian Dictators Convicted of Stealing Babies

Posted on: Jul 6, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Why Activist/Comedian Randy Credico Sparked a Joint at the New York State Capitol

Posted on: Jun 21, 2012, Source: AlterNet

An Open Letter to Mayor Bloomberg From the Hungry People of Brooklyn

Posted on: Jun 11, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Why Doctors Support Treatment, Not Incarceration, for Cameron Douglas and Others who Relapse Behind Bars

Posted on: May 21, 2012, Source: AlterNet

Clueless Judge Gives Cameron Douglas Extra Time for Relapsing in Prison -- Why Not Send Him to Rehab Instead?

Posted on: Dec 29, 2011, Source: AlterNet

It's well established that incarcerating people who use drugs does far more harm than good.

The Holiday Season is a Time for Clemency

Posted on: Dec 19, 2011, Source: AlterNet

A former drug war prisoner explains how clemency set him free, and why he has made it his mission to help other prisoners find freedom.

How Many Drug War Prisoners Were Convicted on Faulty Evidence?

Posted on: Nov 18, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Testing errors at one crime lab led to 3,000 drug convictions in need of review and point to chronic failures in the criminal justice system.

Hemp Warrior: Marijuana Activist Dana Beal Had a Heart Attack, Died, Came Back, and Beat His Pot Rap

Posted on: Oct 31, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Beal, a founder of the Yippees and organizer of the Global Marijuana March, was busted for weed and had a heart attack on his way to prison. Then, a judge voided his sentence.

Naive? Judge Shocked that Drugs Are Available in Prison Gives Cameron Douglas a New Charge

Posted on: Oct 20, 2011, Source: AlterNet

After slapping additional time on Douglas' sentence, a clueless judge said he did not know drugs were available in prison. The author's own experience behind bars reveals reality.

Should the Infamous Cameron Douglas Really be Behind Bars?

Posted on: Oct 7, 2011, Source: AlterNet

This week, Michael Douglas's incarcerated son Cameron testified at his alleged drug supplier's criminal trial. But does he even deserve to be behind bars?

No Redemption for Ex-Offender by Tulane's Law School Students

Posted on: Sep 16, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Bruce Reilly's struggles demonstrate how hard it is to re-enter society as a productive citizen

40 Years After the Attica Prison Uprising: Celebrating the Heroic Courage of Prisoners Who Risked Their Lives for Justice

Posted on: Sep 8, 2011, Source: AlterNet

As we remember the unjust conditions that spurred the Attica uprising, we must focus on the alarming rate of incarceration in the US, highest in the world.

How 3 Joints and an Ounce of Coke Got an Oklahoma Grandfather Life Without Parole

Posted on: Aug 15, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Yarbrough's story is exhibit A for the case to rethink life-without-parole laws across the country.

Breaking the Taboo: A Global Drug War Film

Posted on: Jun 17, 2011, Source: AlterNet

New documentary is a stark and honest portrayal of the global war on drugs and its failure to resolve the many issues that derive from prohibition.

Central Police Detective of Columbia University Drug Bust Arrested: Egg on the Face of Ray Kelly and Bridgett Brennan

Posted on: Jun 10, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Let's see what happens to the students who were arrested and whose lives were ruined because of the overzealous police policies.

New York Police Are Trying to Sweep a Drug Tester's Dark History of Falsifying Results Under the Rug

Posted on: May 26, 2011, Source: AlterNet

24 -year veteran forensic technician Mariem Megalla's shady approach has thrown thousands of court cases into question.

NY Gov. Cuomo Scores Victory to Close Down Troubled Juvenile Detention Facilities

Posted on: Apr 6, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Cuomo's plan to revamp New York State's Juvenile System by reducing the capacity of juvenile centers by 30 percent has become a reality.

Barry Bonds' Prosecutors: This Is Your Testicles on Drugs

Posted on: Mar 25, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Barry Bonds' trial took another twist when the prosecution said they would make the size of his testicles the crux of their case to prove that Bonds lied to a grand jury.

New Directions: Religious and Community Leaders Address the Failed Drug War

Posted on: Mar 17, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Conference gathers this March to chart a new course in drug policy that could serve as a model for the nation.

The Passing of a Drug Reform Hero: Retired Judge Jerome Marks

Posted on: Mar 11, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Marks devoted his life to change NY's draconian Rockefeller drug laws and helped secure clemency for prisoners rotting away in prison for their roles in minor drug crimes.

Thousands of Rockefeller Drug Law Convictions in New York Could Be Challenged Due to Tainted Evidence

Posted on: Feb 17, 2011, Source: AlterNet

Officials recently shut down part of the Nassau County Crime Lab because it was discovered that a half-dozen drug cases had been subjected to incorrect analyses.

Saving Lives: Contest to Create Jobs for the Formerly Incarcerated

Posted on: Feb 4, 2011, Source: AlterNet

An innovative project to address the question of how ex-offenders can make a life once they return to the real world.

Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday: Is the Drug War the Next Big Civil Rights Issue?

Posted on: Jan 7, 2011, Source: AlterNet

How do we begin to address the connections between astronomical rates of incarceration, disintegration of black families, and the war on drugs?

Scott Sisters Freed! Gov. Barbour Demands a Kidney for their Freedom

Posted on: Dec 30, 2010, Source: AlterNet

In a surprising act of compassion, the Mississippi governor has commuted the sentences of two sisters jailed for 16 years for an $11 armed robbery.

Bernie Madoff Feeling the Heat of Imprisonment from His Son's Suicide

Posted on: Dec 14, 2010, Source: AlterNet

This is the fourth suicide linked to Bernie's actions.

'Operation Ivy League' Police Drug Sting: We're Talking About Columbia U. Students, Not Colombia Kingpins

Posted on: Dec 9, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The Columbia bust is all hype and PR and will do nothing to stop drug use on our campuses or in NYC.

A Thanksgiving Miracle for Children of Incarcerated Parents

Posted on: Nov 22, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Terrance Stevens' dream was to help the many children of NY State prisoners that live in his Harlem community and had been left with a great void in their lives.

New York Governor-Elect Cuomo Right on Point: Shut Down Half-Empty Prisons

Posted on: Nov 16, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Andrew Cuomo is searching for ways to cut the budget and reduce economic waste, and half-empty prisons are an obvious target.

How Paris Hilton's Probation Could Lead to Saving People's Lives

Posted on: Sep 21, 2010, Source: AlterNet

By speaking out for treatment instead of imprisonment, Hilton could help the cause of millions of other Americans are arrested for minor drug law violations.

Is Roger Clemens a Victim of the Drug War?

Posted on: Aug 26, 2010, Source: AlterNet

What does the war on drugs have to do with the sport of baseball? Just ask Roger "The Rocket" Clemens.

Corrupt Prison-Based Gerrymandering Ends in New York State

Posted on: Aug 18, 2010, Source: AlterNet

The axing of prison-gerrymandering will result in the reduction of the reliance on the prison industrial complex in upstate New York.

The Passing of My Spiritual Father, Social Activist Rev. Bill Webber

Posted on: Jul 14, 2010, Source: AlterNet

A spiritual father to many men behind and beyond the walls of prison will be surely missed.

Re:FORM: Artists Against the Drug War

Posted on: May 4, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Using art as a vehicle for social change.

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