MANDATORY MAYHEM

The federal government's omnibus crime bill is flawed. Mandatory
sentencing will bloat our jails, stress the workplace of correctional
officers and necessitate construction of additional correctional
facilities. However, it will not deal with the social causes behind
the "entry-level criminal."

Look no further than the Downtown Eastside to see drug use, addiction,
prostitution and property crime linked to mental health, foster care
and imponderables such as head trauma.

These people need social supports and housing, not jail cells. The
costs to house and treat are lower -- and the benefits higher -- to the
person in particular, and society in general.

Lewis Villegas

Vancouver