BREAKING BAD HABITS

The Alabama House Judiciary Committee vote to relax the habitual offender
law was a good one. The full House should support it.

Life in prison without parole is no rehabilitation for a drug addict. In
fact, if reports about what happens in prisons are accurate, some addicts
may find that their lives behind bars will never be drug-free.

An even larger issue, though, is fairness. Should a convicted addict, whose
greatest crime was often against himself, be punished more harshly than
other, more brutal criminals?

State Rep. Demetrius Newton, D-Birmingham, says no. And he's presented a
bill to the House Judiciary Committee that would allow judges to soften the
sentences given to habitual offenders. To the committee's credit, its
members agreed. We're hoping the other members of the Alabama House will,
too.

One reason is the story of Jimmy Summerford, as told by his mother, Diana.
She evidently didn't hold much back as she told the committee about Jimmy's
addiction to illegal drugs.

Jimmy, according to his mother, stole mostly from family members to support
what she called an ''insatiable habit.'' He was out of control, but not so
out of control that he would do anything to satisfy his cravings.

Weak though he may have been, Jimmy evidently had limits. He never attacked
or killed for drugs. He just stole from unoccupied dwellings.

But Jimmy was a habitual offender. So even though he was being driven by
addiction, the reluctant judge had no choice but to give him life without
parole.

Newton's bill will allow offenders who have not been violent a chance to be
free after serving their time. These men and women, though convicted
criminals deserving of some punishment, are in many cases also sick people.
Sometimes, sickness can be healed. Non-violent habitual offenders deserve
that chance.