Penalties, not rewards

This letter is in response to the article, “Commission tackles prison overcrowding/Lighter sentences considered as solution” (BDN, Nov. 22). I found some of the solutions that were suggested to be very interesting, and the more of the article I read the worse it got. Ideas like more good time, money for those who cannot afford jail fees were presented.

I wonder if the members of this commission have family members who have fallen victims to people who we have locked up? The answer to that question must be “no” or they wouldn’t be coming up with these types of ideas.

I am a corrections officer and have been for 18 years, and I cannot believe what I read. I know that these prisons cost the taxpayers money. However, the idea is to punish these people for the harm they have done to society – not reward them.

The crime rate in this state grows every day and it will not stop; it may slow down from time to time but it will not stop. A few days ago I was with a prisoner at a doctor’s place of business, and the doctor asked the prisoner the question, “As a society what can we do to stop the crime?” I gave the answer to that question and the prisoner agreed with me – the answer was “nothing.”

Another question that came to mind was the article stated that the commission recommended emergency funding for places like Charleston, Warren and Windham, but nothing was said about the Down East Correctional Facility. I wonder why. Or maybe we are back again to being the other state of Maine in Washington County.

Dennis Sprowl

Machias