OUT FOR JUSTICE

Allan Watson (Your Views, Jan. 15) is mistaken in writing that the job of a
prosecutor is to put as many people in jail as possible.

As a former assistant district attorney in Sequoyah County, it was my job to
seek justice.

Sometimes that meant sending people to prison, but more often it meant
placing defendants on probation and payment of fines. There's no need to use
a sledgehammer in every case. As for the drug court program, Watson again is
mistaken.

I had the privilege to be involved in the drug court program as a prosecutor
and saw the positive changes it made in people's lives.

I recall the beaming smile of a young lady as she proudly announced she was
enrolling in college for the first time, or the tears of a mother as she
held her baby who was born drug-free. These were the cases that made my job
worthwhile.

Has society benefited from these individuals escaping the drug culture? You
bet. As a prosecutor, I was glad to have an alternative to help people get
off drugs rather than simply sending them to prison.

Brian K. Morton, Sallisaw