Pubdate: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 Source: St. Petersburg Times (FL) Copyright: 2003 St. Petersburg Times Contact: http://www.sptimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/419 Author: Eileen O'Sullivan, St. Petersburg Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/prison.htm (Incarceration) SEEK MORE CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS Re: Legislature Approves $66-Million To Expand State's Prison Capacity, Aug. 14. State Sen. Mike Fasano is pretty glib as he thunders, "Put the criminals behind bars, where they belong." He's also dead wrong: Only the violent belong in jail. Other lawbreakers belong at jobs, earning money to pay taxes and restitution. It's really easy these days to become a criminal, as "legislators" (I use the term loosely) deal with all problems by slapping jail terms on those who don't have good lawyers. I believe that $66-million would be much more productive if it was spent on education rather than shoring up the prison-industrial complex. Mindless sloganeering has characterized our "justice" system for too long. Voters should demand more constructive solutions than simply more jail time. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin