IDAHO'S SAVAGE VOTE CANDY

"Legislature Should Rethink Drug Offender Registry" (13 March) was a
wonderful, smart and brave editorial.

Idaho's Senators are just grandstanding "We're tough on drugs!" to the
Soccer Moms.

A pal I met when I ran a church homeless shelter has long ago finished all
his obligations to the criminal justice system for a felony drug
conviction. Against brutal odds, in dangerous housing (his record
relentlessly gets him rejected from decent public housing), with
practically no money, he's doing brilliantly in college and doing a
remarkable job of rebuilding a productive life.

Idaho's Drug Offender Registry (and my state's, if this Really Lousy Idea
catches on) would, out of the blue, shackle my friend to the criminal
justice system for a new decade — or maybe forever.

In the shelters we call it "punishment after punishment." It's savage vote
candy for perpetually re-electing scoundrel politicians that's completely
replaced an older, decent and fair notion: "He's paid his debt to society."

We've become addicted to vengeance against non-violent drug offenders, and
can't bear to let go. That means we can't bear the thought that they might
succeed again in our communities.

And that means that what we really want most is for them to go back to
prison. We're making recidivism our fault, not theirs.

Robert Merkin,

Northamton, Mass.