DON'T BLAME COPS FOR INCARCERATIONS

I am responding to Bruce Rideout and Dave Michon. I am a corrections
officer like Jeff DeVries. Both writers felt too many "non-violent" drug
offenders are being incarcerated.

Mr. Rideout wrote, "Marijuana consumers are your neighbors, your
friends...." Sorry, Bruce, you're wrong. My friends don't get stoned. We
don't abuse drugs. We don't condone illegal drug use. Pot is illegal in
Wisconsin, and no matter how you rationalize your feelings or activities,
smoking dope is wrong. Period.

I didn't write, or pass any of the legislation regarding marijuana. I
didn't prosecute, convict or sentence any of the law breakers. I simply
supervise the felons after they're convicted. Please don't project
misplaced animosity toward our judicial system onto me. I wasn't part of
the conviction process. I am not responsible for the ever increasing inmate
population. (Actually, the ones responsible are those who seldom seem to
accept the responsibility - the convicted felons themselves. If they didn't
violate the law, they wouldn't be incarcerated.)

In my almost 12 years with the Department of Corrections, I've seen a very
limited number of inmates whose sole conviction and reason for
incarceration is THC (the active ingredient in marijuana). Almost always,
if they're in prison for THC, it was a subsequent offense (a violation of
probation or parole) following a previous conviction. Of the 65 inmates in
my charge in my housing unit, none are in solely for a THC offense. Only
two are in for possession with intent to deliver THC, and one is also
guilty of manufacture and delivery of cocaine. Both of them were violations
of a condition of probation or parole. If they weren't already guilty of
something else, the THC violation probably wouldn't have gotten them prison
time.

Jim Horning

Fond du Lac