Anthony Papa

Who is Anthony Papa?

Anthony Papa is an artist, author, advocate against the war on drugs and co-founder of the Mothers of the New York Disappeared.

15 to Life, published in 2004, is an autobiographical account of Papa's experience with the New York criminal justice system and anti-narcotics laws under which he was sentenced to fifteen years to life imprisonment for a first time drug offense. New York's strict drug laws, enacted during the term of former governor Nelson Rockefeller, and now known as the Rockefeller drug laws are among the toughest in the United States. The possession of four ounces or more of such drugs as heroin and cocaine — or the sale of two ounces or more of the same substances — carries the same penalties as those imposed for second-degree murder. The book 15 to Life is currently in the works of being transformed into a major film as reported by Variety.

As reported by Juan Gonzalez of the New York Daily News, Papa had enjoyed a middle-class life as an owner of an auto-repair and radio business prior to his arrest. According to this account, he was a family man and had never been in trouble with the law.