Pubdate: Mon, 07 Apr 2003 Source: News & Observer (NC) Copyright: 2003 The News and Observer Publishing Company Contact: http://www.news-observer.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/304 Author: Cathy Eagles Note: The writer is one of the 10 chief probation/parole officers in Wake County. ALTERNATIVES TO CELLS Regarding your March 31 editorial "Costly 'slammers'": I second that remark! We are in desperate need of alternatives to incarceration in North Carolina. As long as the legislature continues to cut the Department of Correction budget every year, funding for such programs will obviously continue to be cut as well. The public does need to be protected from violent criminals and therefore we continue to need prisons, but there are fewer and fewer alternatives for those criminals who are nonviolent or who just need an extra push to get on the right track. North Carolina is in desperate need of programs for the young and for females. People should tell their legislators that the state needs more alternative punishment programs! Cathy Eagles Raleigh The writer is one of the 10 chief probation/parole officers in Wake County. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens