A STUPID MANDATORY SENTENCE

The March 20 news story about Charles Garrett points out the colossal
waste and stupidity of our drug laws and the inflexibility of our
so-called "corrections" system.

Here is a drug addict found with two grams of heroin in 1968 (not
good). For this he is sentenced to a life of free room and board
(maybe not good) at taxpayers' expense. But he walked away ("escaped")
from this, cured himself "cold turkey" of his addiction (not easy!)
and lived a crime-free and useful life as a productive citizen until
he was discovered. Now the law again wants to take him away and give
him free room and board at our expense ($25,000 a year) for life.

This does not make sense. If "correction" is the goal, this man has
done it by himself and handsomely. Some provision for forgiveness must
apply in our over-incarcerating "justice" system.

John D. Fogarty,
Columbia