Coakley: Don't shrink drug-free zones

BOSTON (AP) - Attorney General Martha Coakley says she opposes Gov. Deval Patrick's idea to shrink the drug-free zone around schools from 1,000 feet to 100 feet.

Coakley told reporters Wednesday after a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce that she "would be reluctant to make that change at this stage."

She says in practical terms, district attorneys already assess whether someone was selling to school kids or targeting them before charging them with crimes that trigger tougher penalties for school-zone infractions.

Patrick proposed the change Tuesday as part of a criminal re-entry package aimed at curbing prison overcrowding and targeting the most violent offenders.

Coakley says "it's a little bit unusual" that the governor was discussing such criminal law changes in relation to the budget he was unveiling Wednesday.