Elaine Bartlett is an

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

activist from

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street (Manhattan), 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and 110th Street (Manhattan), ...

who was charged with a first offense felony for selling

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

in 1983. Bartlett, a mother of four children, spent sixteen years in the Bedford Hills prison in New York. During the time of Bartlett's arrest, New York had just undergone major changes with their drug laws. The controversial

Rockefeller drug laws The Rockefeller Drug Laws are the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of "narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted. Rock ...

caused an upset and caused many to second-guess the motives of the criminal justice system. While Bartlett was in prison, she became involved with multiple activities to keep busy. In 1999, while still in prison, Bartlett obtained her associate degree from Mercy College. After her release in 2000, Bartlett found that her family did not have the resources necessary to be successful, but states that she was determined to be successful. She became an activist to repeal the Rockefeller drug laws. Bartlett helped found the Mothers of the Disappeared which is an advocacy group aiming for repeal of the drug laws. She has advocated to New York state legislators, delivered speeches at rallies, and attended anti-drug law events in Washington D.C.,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, and Texas.

''Life on the Outside'' (2004)

A 2004 book by Jennifer Gonnerman, ''Life on the Outside'' (), tells the story of Bartlett's crime, her time in prison, the effect of incarceration on family members, and her re-entry into society.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartlett, Elaine Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American female criminals 20th-century American criminals American drug traffickers People from Harlem Mercy College (New York) alumni