PAYING THE DEBT

I am in the Escambia County Jail waiting to be shipped off to prison
for the next 82 months. I was sentenced to prison for failing a drug
test while waiting for an open bed in a local drug rehab center.

My crime was a non-violent drug offense and the only victims in my
case will be those of you who pay tax dollars to house, clothe and
feed me for the next seven years (along with thousands of others in my
same situation).

While I admit to having a drug addiction, I'm also in good physical
condition and of average intelligence. Wouldn't my debt to society be
better fulfilled by cooking, cleaning or even fighting in the Middle
East rather than rolling cigarettes in a cell for the next seven
years? It would sure give my embarrassing life some meaning to help
defend the very freedom I've taken for granted, and it would
definitely make my Mom proud.

CHRIS COLLINS

Pensacola