WASHINGTON -- He was 19, held a full-time job and had never been in trouble with the police before his big mistake.

Nevertheless, the teen-ager was sentenced to 10 years in a Federal penitentiary with no chance of parole for serving as translator for a Spanish-speaking friend in a drug deal.

The sentence shocked him and prompted his lawyer, Deborah Persico, to spend the next five years informing teen-agers about the legal consequences of drug involvement.

"That's the jaw-dropper," Ms. Persico said. "When I tell kids that aiding and abetting a felony is itself a felony and may draw the same punishment, I always get the same astonished reaction."

Since 1993, Ms. Persico has been speaking to high school students here in an effort to correct the misconceptions.

"These kids had no clue whatsoever," she said. "I figured someone needed to tell them how an act they might consider minor could have very serious repercussions."

Ms. Persico uses members of her audiences in role-playing skits to get across her major points. For example, she informs them that mandatory sentences apply even to first-time offenders; a person can be convicted of possession with intent to distribute even if he or she never touched the drugs; a person can be convicted of drug trafficking for merely referring customers to a seller; giving a known drug dealer a ride or giving a party where others sell drugs can result in prosecution, and such offenses can be felonies and result in long prison sentences.

"Some just think the drug scene is cool," Ms. Persico said. "These are the kids I think I'm reaching, maybe helping them not fall off the edge."

Teen-agers who might not be impressed with cautionary tales about the health effects of drugs can appreciate the impact of sitting in a prison cell for 3, 5 or 10 years, she said.

Ms. Persico says teen-agers who have been involved with drugs for years also need the education.

"They're street-smart in the sense that they know how to prepare and package the drugs, feel out customers and hide from the cops," she said. "But they don't know what actually will happen if they get caught, and they will get caught."
(Ed. note: It would seem that this eliminates the "deterrent effect" of Draconian penalties. The problem is that if the government makes enough noise to inform street kids, it will also inform many voters who might think that this is unjust and just stupid. The result is what I call "stealth terrorism." A huge number of people are having their lives ruined, but it does not accomplish its stated objective.)