Pubdate: Wed, 11 Jul 2001 Source: Daily Reflector (NC) Copyright: 2001 Daily Reflector Contact: http://www.reflector.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1456 Author: Edna J Woolard TOUGHER SENTENCING WOULD REDUCE CRIME So, crime is up in Greenville. Where is it not? Just as proper treatment is used to cure a life-threatening disease, so must the proper punishment be used to properly treat crime. Until our "leaders" take the appropriate measures to treat crime, it will continue to control, molest and harass, until it eventually kills our society. It seems to me that our law enforcement people are doing their jobs. It is the court system that allows crime to flourish. Our "justice" system is a joke, sort of like the one about how many men does it take to change a light bulb. How many crimes must one commit before one is sent to prison for an extended stay? Fines and community service mean nothing to a criminal. Crime, like education, has been talked to death, and still, not much is done about either. When drug pushers are sent to prison for life, when murderers are sent to prison for life, when rapist are sent to prison for life, when robbers using weapons are sent to prison for life, our society will be safer. When students are taught citizenship, patriotism, respect for others and trained to make a living, crime will be reduced. When the government stops "rewarding" people for producing illegitimate babies, and living together without the benefit of marriage so they can collect welfare, crime will be reduced. Will crime ever go away? No, it won't. But it can be treated and reduced. Edna J. Woolard Greenville - --- MAP posted-by: Beth