Drug-free zone editorial (Oct. 06)

A bill proposing to shrink drug-free school zones in New Jersey comes at the recommendation of a special commission that has reviewed criminal sentencing policies in New Jersey. The commission determined that the bigger zones are largely ineffective and can be unfair in crowded urban areas where schools are closer together, often leaving dealers unaware that they're even in a drug-free zone.

No one should have sympathy for a drug dealer, of course, but the design of the zones is to hit criminals with enhanced penalties for approaching children in areas where youths congregate. Coincidentally nabbing a dealer within 1,000 feet of a school when there's no intent of approaching kids -- and where the school may be nowhere in sight -- doesn't serve any useful purpose.

The commission's suggestion was to reduce the zones to 250 feet and stiffen penalties for violators. That makes sense to us, but not to many residents who view the proposal as weakening child protections in an attempt to relieve prison overcrowding.

In response to an uproar in Hillsborough about the plan, Assemblyman Peter Biondi has crafted a bill that would retain the current size of the zones while creating stricter penalties for violators.

Resistance to the commission's suggestions seems more emotional than practical, an instinctive reaction to an idea that may sound soft on dealers but is intended to make the drug-free protections more effective. We support the concept of smaller zones.