DRUG DEALERS DESERVE LONG PRISON TERMS

Once again, it's budget time in New York State and the issue of
cutting the sentences of convicts incarcerated due to the "draconian
Rockefeller drug laws" is coming up. Yes, it is true that it is costly
to keep people in jail, but the benefits certainly outweigh the cost.

In a recent News article, an individual was arrested with 4.8 ounces
of cocaine. At a street value of $6,000 to $12,000, I would have to
say only a wealthy individual could afford this kind of personal
consumption. Suffice it to say it was more likely to be sold to
others. How much would the cost have been to society then? Keeping a
drug dealer off the streets for 15 years will guarantee this person
does not sell drugs to others for a long time.

It's great to hear that this individual is a model inmate, but don't
you think 11 years in jail will do that to you? Would one year in the
Erie County Holding Center have had the same effect?

Douglas Kozuch

Depew