IMPRISONED IN AMERICA

To the Editor:

Re "U.S. Figures Show Prison Population Is Now Stabilizing" (front
page, June 9): Last year's 1.5 percent imprisonment growth comes
after our most punishing decade in history. The enormous growth in
incarceration in the 1990's came almost exclusively at the expense of
minorities, most of whom were imprisoned for nonviolent or drug
offenses. Seven in 10 inmates added to our prison roles since 1985
were minorities, an astonishing figure when you realize that crime
was falling during the 1990's.

President Bush has spoken about wanting to reach out to minority
communities after an election in which he did so poorly among
African-American voters. A good place to start would be by diverting
people convicted of nonviolent or drug offenses from prison and into
treatment and restitution programs.

JASON ZIEDENBERG
Washington, June 10, 2001