Pubdate: Tue, 12 Dec 2000
Source: Frederick News Post (MD)
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Author: Douglas Scott Arey

FAULTED DRUG POLICY

That's wild. On page B5 of the Nov. 30 Frederick News-Post we read Lt.
Gov. Kathleen Townsend defends her "Break the Cycle" drug probation
program.

The controversy erupted due to a program participant who had 72
probation violations, including some five dozen urine testing
violations, upon which no action had been taken ... . For comparison
and contrast, note that a Hagerstown man was sentenced to 18 months in
the Washington County Detention Center for violating his probation for
just four urine testing violations (page B3 of the Nov. 1 Hagerstown
Herald Mail).

Since both probationers were in Kennedy-Townsend's "Break the Cycle"
program, it seems Break the Cycle is itself broken, unless it has two
standards of justice depending upon where one lives.

This makes it difficult to see how the lieutenant governor can defend
such an arbitrary program. Absent uniform enforcement of all laws
across the entire state of Maryland, our criminal "justice" system
will continue to provoke outrage among all citizens.

Douglas Scott Arey,
Hagerstown
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