EQUATE PENALTIES TO CRIMES

According to your recent article ``Sentences on decline for drugs, study
says'' (Nation/World, March 13), the average federal sentence for a drug
offense has dropped to 74.6 months in 1998 from 95.7 months in 1992. Even
with the shortened sentences, drug offenders spend more time behind bars
than criminals convicted of rape. Recent Justice Department statistics
indicate that the average federal sentence for rape is 67 months. A drug
sale is a consensual act. Both user and dealer walk away happy. The same
cannot be said of a violent crime like rape. This disparity in sentencing is
an outrage. How is it possible that violent criminals are doing less time
than nonviolent drug offenders?

Robert Sharpe
Washington, D.C.