DRUG WAR HAS LED TO PRISONS BUILT AS PROFIT

Jefferson George's March 4 article, "Counties see inmates as a source of
income," brought home the practice of warehousing humans as a means of
profit. Current policy is forcing our nation into a prison-dependent
society, with an economy based more and more on prison building and
staffing.

The availability of big profits in the prison industry, combined with
corruption in law enforcement and government, is jeopardizing our future as
a free nation.

Violent criminals are not the ones filling our jails and prisons beyond
capacity. The drastic increase since the early 1980s is not because of a
huge increase in violent crimes. The overcrowded jails and prisons
nationwide are the result of the "war." This nation's "War on Drugs" is a
war against the people.

There are currently more people per capita incarcerated than at any other
time in history. The United States imprisons more of its citizens than any
other country in the world. Rights that have been protected since our
nation's beginning are being thrown out in the name of the war.

Prohibition creates huge organized crime rings and the violence that
accompanies them. Keeping certain drugs illegal and controlled by the
black market ensures big profits. The availability of easy money attracts
the poor and uneducated, ensuring a steady stream of drug offenders.

Is the fear of drugs worth losing our freedom over? Is that what we want
for our children? This war is going to destroy our nation if we don't stop
the madness.