LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT SENTENCING SYSTEM

I was pleased when President Clinton decided to commute the sentences of
two women serving federal mandatory sentences for minor roles in drug
crimes. While justice was served in these cases, it is still lacking for
thousands of federal drug offenders sentenced under inflexible mandatory
sentencing laws.

These laws, which send thousands of drug offenders to prison every year,
restrict judges from considering all the facts of a case. Only the drug,
its weight and a person's prior convictions determine the sentence. The
only way to get a reduced sentence is by providing information to the
government. Unfortunately, low-level offenders with no information to
provide often receive longer sentences than kingpins who have plenty to tell.

Let's hope that the new Congress will realize the inequities of our current
sentencing system and replace our Draconian mandatory laws with those that
let the punishment fit the crime.

Carla Widener
Wauwatosa