Pubdate: Fri, 20 Apr 2007
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Copyright: 2007 Los Angeles Times
Contact:  http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/248
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n000/a072.html
Author: Frank Courser

DRUG TREATMENT ISN'T THE ANSWER

It would appear that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is determined to jam
our prison system with low-level nonviolent drug offenders -- while
never fully funding Proposition 36, a voter initiative passed
overwhelmingly by the public. He now wishes to overhaul it and add
even more jail and prison punishment to a program developed to divert
drug offenders from prisons. It is disturbing to think that he would
not consider any overhaul or even a study of another voter initiative
- -- California's three-strikes law that gives 25-years-to-life
sentences to nonviolent drug offenders and costs taxpayers billions --
yet wishes to tinker with one that saves money. I thought the idea was
to find ways to reduce our prison population. No wonder a federal
judge has threatened to take over our prison system.

Frank Courser

Escondido
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake