COURTS ARE TOO LENIENT

Re: Is PM cleaning up justice, or trolling for votes? (April 20).

I'm troubled by Gordon Sinclair's apparent willingness to brush off
crimes committed by anyone with a sob story. First off, everyone has
been through tough times, yet most somehow get by without ending up
on the wrong side of the law.

Just as worrisome is the all-too-common sentencing tool of house
arrest. You better watch it, criminals, or you'll end up (gasp!) in
your house! It's true that no one sentenced to two or more years is
eligible for house arrest. The problem is our courts never mean what
they say. Three years in jail doesn't mean three years in jail. It
can mean four months in jail followed by probation.

By continually expecting more of criminals than they deserve and by
letting them back onto the street, lenient courts have become an
accomplice to those who would harm our society. It's as if we're
afraid to keep people locked up because, darn it, we're just so nice.
If the true problem is lack of prison capacity, I'll be the first to
sign a petition for a new jail construction tax. It will be the first
tax in my life I'd happily pay.

JONATHON NAYLOR

Flin Flon