Pubdate: Fri, 20 Oct 2000
Date: 10/20/2000
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Author: Jake Clark
Authors: Jake Clark

If I understood your Oct. 15 editorial, you suggest that crime has had
a major drop across the nation, so we should now focus on
rehabilitation and stronger gun laws for all citizens plus different
laws for drugs. Why not focus on what has arguably gotten us where we
are today--even stronger sentences for all crimes--especially those
that involve the use of a gun? How about a two-strike penalty?

Most of the experts lament the number of people that we have in jail.
Can there really be a denial that there might be a correlation between
more criminals in jail and less crime on the streets? Sure, there are
other factors to consider, but the math is undeniable--plus-one in
jail equals minus-one on the streets. Let's make rehabilitation a
separate issue--after our streets are even safer.

JAKE CLARK,
Redondo Beach

Bookmark: For Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act items:
http://www.mapinc.org/prop36.htm