COPING WITH U. S. PRISON POPULATION

Re: "U.S. jails, prisons overflowing," May 3 editorial.

Primarily because of our drug-war policies, the United States has been
transformed into the most incarcerated nation in the history of human
civilization. Even though we in the U.S. have less than 5 percent of
the world's population, we have more than 25 percent of the world's
prisoners.

This deserves our shame and outrage.

Our friends and foes around the world alike now know that the U.S.
leads the world in the number of prisoners and the percentage of our
citizens who are locked up.

What message does this send to the rest of the world?

Kirk Muse

Mesa, Ariz.