A statistical breakdown has been performed on the 440 inmates doing time in New York under the Rockefeller drug laws who may be eligible for release when the new law goes into effect (referred to as A-1 felons.) Bottom line: They differ in several ways from both the general prison population and lower-level drug offenders.

There is a greater percentage of A-1 felons born abroad, particularly in the Dominican Republic, as compared to the general prison population. There are more hispanics and fewer blacks than in the general population. For example, 1/3 of the A-1 inmates are black while 50% of the general population and 60% of low level drug offenders are black. Only 8% of A-1's are white--there is a greater percentage of whites in the general population.

Experts disagree on the reason for the disparate numbers. The only good news is that there are fewer A-1 inmates these days.