PRISONS OVERCROWDED

To The Editor:

I'm glad to see a St.Lawrence County Legislator speak up about the
recent round up of cocaine users. Are they "truely dangerous". (The
Ogdensburg Journal Tues. 21 Sept. 1999.) Mr. FitzRandolph is one of
thousands of legislators across the U.S. that are starting to question
this so called "Drug War" that is costing the taxpayers so much money.

On page one of the same paper (Sheriff: County Jail Population going Up).
In that article it states "there is a declining overall crime rate in the
county." Crime down, jail population up? What kind of people are we
filling the jails with? People of nonviolent crimes?

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Sourcebook of Criminal
Justice pgs. 4, 464 dated 1997 (note: its two years ago cost is
probably higher now.) Without prison, that's just judicial, legal,
and police costs. IT cost the taxpayers $48,059 per inmate. If they
go to prison for one year the cost jumps up to $71,465 per inmate.

And we can't raise the budget for the county libraries $8,000.
something that might help our kids!

LAWRENCE SEGUIN
Lisbon NY