Pubdate: Sun, 20 Aug 2000
Source: Vacaville Reporter (CA)
Contact:  http://www.thereporter.com/
Author: Zoe Sodja

WRONG IMPRESSION OF HOW ONE LIVES A LIFE IN PRISON

Reporter Editor:

Regarding the letter titled, "Lawbreakers made their own beds" (Reporter, 
Aug. 15), the author seems to feel that all California prisoners are guilty 
of rape, murder, shooting or other violence.

She may not be aware that 70 percent of women prisoners and more than 50 
percent of male prisoners are incarcerated for non-violent crimes, most of 
them drug crimes.

Many of our prisoners are drug addicts and many of them are also mental 
patients who really need treatment rather than prison, but there isn't any 
such thing for poor people. So they go to prison.

I'd like to add that prisons are in no way comfortable places, so the 
letter writer needn't worry about her taxes paying to make prisoners 
comfortable, just mostly it makes the guards comfortable.

In addition, there is no air conditioning in any California prisons, even 
though some of them are in some extremely hot areas. We were objecting to 
electricity being cut off so they could not run the fans, since their cells 
are extremely tiny with no windows. Personally, I feel it is definitely a 
health hazard.

By the way, I have no loved ones in prison, but I am interested in treating 
all human beings in a humane and Christian way.

Zoe Sodja, Santa Cruz
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