Presently, I'm reading "Mr. Smith goes to Prison" by Jeff Smith, and it's an eye opener! Mr. Smith, a former Missouri state senator who pleaded guilty to seemingly minor campaign violations, was sentenced to a year and a day in FCI Manchester, a federal correctional institution. Although the violations deserved punishment, I believe the penalty was totally out of line.
What I'm learning about a life behind bars is shocking. However, we need to understand locking people up is an industry in America today and so nothing's about to change ("The wrong priorities," Aug. 1). Private prisons are run by mega-corporations and have achieved cash cow status for businesses and local communities. Our "American Gulag archipelago" also known as The Prison-Industrial Complex is a disgrace and an embarrassment.
The injustice, the abuse and the unwillingness to reform the system makes me sick. The "school-to-prison" pipeline is just one part of the problem, yet I'm glad a little attention is being paid to the horrendous price Americans pay. I'm not opposed to locking up the bad guys, but now it's gone way, way too far. It's time for decent citizens to stand up and condemn this national scandal!
Rosalind Heid, Baltimore