Pubdate: Thu, 30 Nov 2000
Source: Christian Science Monitor (US)
Copyright: 2000 The Christian Science Publishing Society.
Contact:  One Norway Street, Boston, MA 02115
Fax: (617) 450-2031
Website: http://www.csmonitor.com/
Forum: http://www.csmonitor.com/atcsmonitor/vox/p-vox.html
Authors: Robert Sharpe, Barry Green, Kirk Muse
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1768/a05.html

THE FORGOTTEN PRISON ISSUE

According to your Nov. 27 editorial on the overuse of incarceration, 
"Wanted: the prison issue," it's estimated nearly half of the 2 million 
inmates in the US are serving time for small-time drug possession and other 
nonviolent crimes.Putting Americans with drug problems behind bars with 
hardened criminals is a dangerous proposition.

According to research published in American Psychologist, about one-fourth 
of those initially imprisoned for nonviolent crimes are sentenced for a 
second time for committing a violent offense. Whatever else it reflects, 
this pattern highlights the possibility that prison serves to transmit 
violent habits and values rather than to reduce them. It's time to rethink 
the failed drug war and start treating all substance abuse - legal or 
otherwise - as the public health problem that it is.

Robert Sharpe The Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation Washington

Thank you for addressing the crime/prison population boom in your 
editorial. It is indeed mind-blowing that this issue doesn't receive more 
attention. Ralph Nader was the only one I heard addressing it in the 
presidential campaign. The tough-on-crime mentality, coupled with growing 
for-profit corporate prisons, will turn around and bite this country if we 
do not find alternatives to incarceration.

I'm embarrassed and outraged by this issue, but proud to see more and more 
members of the media bringing it into public view.

Barry Green Santa Cruz, Calif.

It seems a little late to complain about the prison issue missing from the 
campaign.

It is not too late to complain about the 2 million prisoners, most of whom 
are serving time for harming nobody except themselves. With less than 5 
percent of the world's population, the US now has over 25 percent of the 
world's prisoners.

Kirk Muse Vancouver, Wash.
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