Pubdate: Sun, 16 May 1999
Date: 05/16/1999
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Author: Glenn H. Early
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n506.a10.html

Where is the public outrage?

The Justice Department reported that our nation's jails and prisons
now warehouse over 1.8 million individuals.

When the Justice Policy Institute analyzed the report, it found that
1.1 million of those incarcerated are nonviolent offenders. Do the
taxpayers really enjoy wasting $24 billion every year to house
nonviolent criminals? I certainly doubt it.

It is time for the American people to demand effective and sensible
solutions to incarceration. With the foolish policies now, it will not
be long before one-third of our citizens are behind bars, with
one-third keeping an eye on them and the other third working to pay
for it all.

Glenn H. Early,
The November Coalition,
Colville