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. - --- MAP posted-by: Terry F