"FAIR SHOT" SHOULD BE GIVEN TO DRUG OFFENDERS

Your superior correspondents received this e-mail recently and we'd like to
share it. Perhaps it will put more of a face on current activities in the
General Assembly:

Dear P&J -

I'm sure you have noticed the attempts of the Blow-Jo to try to exterminate
any efforts made by the Legislature to pass a long overdue bill shortening
from 10 years to five years the waiting period before ex-offenders are
eligible to have their criminal records expunged. Their "editorial" on 4/26
would make ill-informed readers believe that every individual who has ever
committed a crime, from stealing M&Ms to murder, will automatically have
their records erased, allowing them to purchase automatic weapons and
resultingly, wipe out entire communities, all because of this legislation.
If you closely examine the article, it is filled with such catch phrases as
"assault," "violent criminals," "harm," "kill," and "guns," even though the
law will only effect [sic] first-time, non-violent offenders. (I was
surprised at the ProJo's opposition since the local NRA supports the bill.
This is so men arrested of domestic violence can have their records
expunged also and can go buy weapons to shoot their partners).

I'm an ex-con who was arrested one time in 1990 for drug delivery, served
26 months, spent four years on parole and will be on probation until 2007.
I can then wait 10 more years until 2017 to have my record expunged, a
total of over 27 years for one arrest! I'll be able to celebrate my
expungement with my grandkids!

I've had more doors slammed in my face over the years that my nose is now
flat. Fortunately, I decided to get an education after I got out including
an MSW from RIC. I actually got a job with the state at the RI Training
School, working with young criminals. I think if it were up to the Blow-Jo,
I'd be flipping burgers at McDonald's. There are hundreds of other felons
who have turned their lives around but can't get decent jobs because of
their records. Of course, there are many fine employers in RI who welcome
anyone who is a good worker and is willing to change (Home Depot to name one).

Anyway, I've been reading you for years and never miss an issue. Thanks for
reading this.

- -- Peter

(P&J would suggest that Peter is not an unusual case. We say this with the
knowledge that so many people are incarcerated because of their violation
of the drug laws. "Getting tough on crime" has always been an easy call for
elected officials, because it makes it appear that they're doing something
about crime. In fact they are -- they're helping to increase it. What we
don't do anything about, however, is rehabilitation. In fact, we make it
close to near impossible for anyone to rehabilitate themselves, hence,
making it more likely that they'll end up committing more crimes.

The expungement proposal in the General Assembly doesn't even address some
of the primary deficiencies in rehabilitating those who have served time
for criminal acts. But by shortening the time it takes to have one's record
expunged, it seems reasonable. We say this not because we're of the
"hopeful" school, but because we think the punishment/rehab balance is way
out of whack and that after one has served his or her time, they should
have a fair shot at becoming a productive citizen. At present, we're not
convinced that "a fair shot" exists.)