Pubdate: Wed, 11 Aug 1999
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 1999 Los Angeles Times.
Contact:  (213) 237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Forum: http://www.latimes.com/home/discuss/
Author: Jan Foster

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. (SECOND OF TWO)

Cheers to Mike Downey for his Aug. 6 column on Robert Downey Jr.'s jail
sentence. Judge Lawrence Mira used very poor judgment in his decision on how
the taxpayers' dollars are best spent and how to handle drug addiction.
Housing and feeding drug addicts and exposing them to real criminals is not
a solution. Helping them through rehabilitation is the only correct method
to solve drug addiction. Robert Downey Jr. is a public figure, so we will
hear how he is handled by the system. How many drug addicts are incarcerated
who we do not hear about? How many lives are destroyed because incarceration
is an easy and short term solution to a long term problem?

JAN FOSTER
West Hollywood

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