Pubdate: Fri, 16 Aug 2002
Source: Idaho Statesman, The (ID)
Copyright: 2002 The Idaho Statesman
Contact:  http://www.idahostatesman.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/204
Author: Janet Asay

JAIL CROWDING

Many people think their families are too loving, religious, conservative 
and educated to have members with drug problems, only to learn otherwise. 
Many think jail rehabilitates drug users, but learn otherwise. "Zero 
tolerance" sounds great until justice is untempered by mercy, and we learn 
otherwise.

 From The Statesman's article on Aug. 8, it seems there's some progressive 
thought in Canyon County. Maybe the judges and administrators in Ada County 
are more interested in perpetuating the status quo than in fixing what 
simply does not work.

How naive is the assumption that more than 100 people who are in the Ada 
County Jail for non-violent, non-vehicular crimes just need more beds, more 
space and more jail time. Jailing nonviolent young offenders is detrimental 
to their rehabilitation; jail time reinforces feelings of worthlessness, 
deepens depression that often triggers drug use, exposes immature 
personalities to a hard-core population, and - especially as repeated for 
minor infractions of court stipulations - normalizes the incarceration 
experience.

Let's spend our tax dollars on more treatment, not bigger jails, and 
scrutinize every publicly funded program that treats or disciplines 
nonviolent offenders. Compassionately and cost-effectively, let's do unto 
others as we would have done to our own.

Janet Asay, Fruitland
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MAP posted-by: Tom