Pubdate: Tue, 09 Jun 1998 Source: Wisconsin State Journal Contact: http://www.madison.com/index.html TRUTH IN SENTENCING GIVES INMATES NO HOPE I am confined at the Oakhill Correctional Institutiuon, and I'm writing in response to all those who are under the impression that truth in sentencing is a grand idea. Being incarcerated, I witness the anger and frustration and feel the tension among the inmates here, even though the bill does not affect them. With truth in sentencing, inmates will have nothing to lose, therefore, complying with policies and orders will not readily happen. Assaults will rise against inmates as well as staff. The prison system is crowded and frustrations are at an all-time high. Truth in sentencing will inevitably increase those frustrations. This is a $300-million bill that you, the public, are not acknowledging in your zeal to rid the world of the criminal elements that are so prevalent. Try as you may, Wisconsin cannot incarcerate the world, yet the public does not question the expenditures by the state in the building of prisons and not schools, the overzealousness to incarerate instead of educate. Dave Harris, Oregon - ---