Pubdate: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 1999 The Washington Post Company
Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
Feedback: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/edit/letters/letterform.htm
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: John D. Fogarty
Page: A20

A STUPID MANDATORY SENTENCE

The March 20 news story about Charles Garrett points out the colossal
waste and stupidity of our drug laws and the inflexibility of our
so-called "corrections" system.

Here is a drug addict found with two grams of heroin in 1968 (not
good). For this he is sentenced to a life of free room and board
(maybe not good) at taxpayers' expense. But he walked away ("escaped")
from this, cured himself "cold turkey" of his addiction (not easy!)
and lived a crime-free and useful life as a productive citizen until
he was discovered. Now the law again wants to take him away and give
him free room and board at our expense ($25,000 a year) for life.

This does not make sense. If "correction" is the goal, this man has
done it by himself and handsomely. Some provision for forgiveness must
apply in our over-incarcerating "justice" system.

John D. Fogarty, 
Columbia
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