Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Pubdate: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 Contact: http://www.sjmercury.com/ BULGING PRISONS REFLECT OUR SOCIETY'S PRIORITIES LETTER #1 COLUMNIST Joseph Spear's analogy (Opinion, Aug. 11) is so misguided it would be comical if it wasn't so sad. He continues to perpetuate the myth of ``country club'' prisons and states that he's rejoicing that the prisons are bulging; it means the government is doing its job. In the same column he cites statistics that show crime rates, including violent crime rates, are down. Well, gee, who does he think is filling up the prisons if it isn't the violent offenders? How about addicts and substance abusers? Our government may be doing a great job of locking people up, but it long ago gave up the goal of rehabilitating anyone. As a result, we're building more and more prisons and filling them up with people who ingest illegal substances. Is this the best that we can do? Is this any kind of logical solution? Dollar for dollar, it would seem that we could better spend our resources in the form of intervention, treatment and rehab than constructing yet another penitentiary. This may be what Mr. Spear defines as ``gnashing of teeth by liberals,'' but in many circles it's what passes for common sense. - -- Lolly Powell Belanger Felton - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------------- LETTER # 2 THREE cheers for Joseph Spear. I would be very interested in the opinion of the citizens of our country regarding the treatment of our prisoners. It is curious how lawyers are not only available to bring suits against prisons but how vehemently they present their case. Where are the lawyers for the victims of these prisoners? Is it that prisoners are housed in a prison and, therefore, easier to represent than their victims who are spread out? Fortunately, I have not been one of those victims, but my heart goes out to them again every time I read of a suit being brought against the city or county for the ``terrible'' treatment of the prisoners. Victims, like the middle class, are hard pressed to organize themselves and so I feel we somehow have to obtain at least as good a representation for victims as for prisoners. I totally agree with Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio's view of how we should treat prisoners since I do not see that any of his views represents mistreating them. - -- Ed Lodi Campbell - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------------- LETTER # 3 JOSEPH Spear may look forward with relish to a day when half of the poor and disadvantaged will be prepared by their education only to be cops and prison guards controlling the other half who will be their criminals and convicts; I do not. That is clearly the future we are investing in through futile drug prohibition and runaway incarceration. - -- Thomas J. O'Connell San Mateo - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- - ---------------------------------------------- LETTER # 4 A recent two-week visit to western Pennsylvania just happened to correspond to the period of time when `` . . . recent reports about breakouts at a private prison in Youngstown, Ohio'' occurred, leading to bad press, poisoning ``efforts by both foes and supporters of private prisons'' (Page 10A, Aug. 10). The Youngstown suburb's facility was a maximum security private prison in which six felons, murderers and rapists, walked out of the prison into a community that had initially welcomed the jobs the prison brought. Prison officials struggled valiantly to contain the damage, but it was left to local law enforcement to mop up the mess the prison had created for an unprepared public. Television stations and radio were constantly broadcasting updates for over a week, trying to keep a terrified populace informed. At a time when children were home on summer vacation, all were being kept indoors until the suspects were captured, as these were violent men. After one week, all but one of the prisoners had been captured, while members of communities in two states were terrified to go out of their homes. Ohio officials were calling for closure of the prison, as this was the last in a series of events that left the small community regretting the decision to have a private prison built in its midst. As in Ohio, California is now considering private prisons, but is the public ready for the dangers inherent in having private prisons? - -- Mary Fairfield San Jose - --- Checked-by: "Rich O'Grady"