SENTENCED TO LOSE

Re: Studies on sentencing do not allow firm conclusions, May 15.

Letter-writer Tony Manera misses a key point in his criticism of
columnist Dan Gardner's conclusion that long prison sentences do not
improve society: Long prison terms for non-violent vices such as drug
use or drug dealing create a society that jails more of its own
citizens than any country in history, as is the case in the United States.

It also provides drug users with a first-hand educations from the
hardened criminals they are locked up with, so that when they are
released they have learned new ways to behave.

Many of our politicians and citizens have developed a very demented
attitude that people who make mistakes cannot learn from their
errors, if given a chance, and become good productive citizens in the long run.

David Lane,

Santa Cruz, California