GOVERNMENT SPENDS TOO MUCH ON PRISONS AS IT IS

I hope I am not the only one to notice the juxtaposition of two headlines
on the front page of the Journal: "Johnson Prepares State for Lean Year"
and "$20 Million Sought for Prisons."

Gov. Gary Johnson is to be commended for his recognition that the war on
drugs is a failure, but his vision is a little short-sighted. Part of that
failed drug war is the incarceration of nonviolent people who need medical
treatment instead of incarceration.

We should not be spending more money on prisons, especially in these tight
fiscal times. Since the enactment of mandatory minimum sentencing for drug
users, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has increased its budget by a whopping
1,350 percent. From 1986 to 1997 the budget went from $220 million to $3.19
billion.

The U.S. Justice Department statistics show that 80 percent of the increase
in the federal prison population from 1985 to 1995 was due to drug convictions.

The United States operates the biggest prison system on the planet - our
overall incarceration rate is six times that of our nearest western
competitors. ...

Is this money well spent? I don't think so.

MICHAEL SAUBER

Silver City