JAIL SOLUTIONS IGNORE ADDICTION

Golden Pen

"Spokane County officials searching for more jail space" (Jan. 25) is
a sad commentary on officials' priorities. Reasons cited for the need
were increases in violent crime, meth arrests and new drunk-driving
laws. The Jan. 27 story on "Meth busters" (Voice) carried an equally
sad message about the state of the war on drugs.

Even though years of locking 'em up with stiff sentences has proven
ineffective, more arrests and more jail cells are still the only
solutions being proposed by officials to address the ever-increasing
violent and drug-related crime in Spokane.

It's clear that addiction is a major contributor to the rise in
criminal activity, but none of the suggested alternatives
acknowledges the role of addiction in this increase. Addiction is a
chronic illness that won't go away by closing meth houses and
building more jails. Failure to include rehabilitation of the addict
in the solution leaves the community wide open to increasing
drug-related criminal activity. New meth labs will always fill the
gap left by busted kitchens as long as the demand for meth remains
high.

The need for treatment and rehabilitation is greater than ever, yet
the only thing we offer the addict as a treatment for their illness
is more jail time. This makes about as much sense as treating a
compound fracture of the leg with six months' bed rest without
setting the break itself.

In both cases, the result is a person destined to a lifetime
dependent on crutches!

Bonnie Avery

Spokane