ALTERNATIVE SENTENCING WOULD PREVENT TRAGEDY

I grieve with (and pray for) the families and friends of the eight inmates
who died in the Mitchell County Jail. My prayerful concerns include, also,
the officials of the jail and the citizens of Bakersville.

Serious thought is being given, I trust, to the possible good that can be
generated from this tragedy. Surely those responsible (and aren't we all?)
for the arrest, sentencing and incarceration of offenders are asking
ourselves some hard questions: "What could we have done to prevent this
disaster? And what must we do to prevent such tragedies in the future?" The
safety of our institutions of confinement is of primary consideration.
Beyond that, let's begin thinking more creatively about alternative
sentencing for petty-crime offenders (as were many of those in the Mitchell
County Jail).

If restorative, rather than punitive, justice were practiced more often,
many offenders in our local jails would be free, productive citizens.
(Restorative Justice takes into consideration justice for all - the
offenders, the victims and the community. All affected parties are involved
in the restorative process.)

Wouldn't the majority of people in a civilized society prefer restoring an
offender to the community rather than paying to keep him/her warehoused?

I think so.

Laura B. Wells,

Asheville