Let’s start addressing root causes of jail overcrowding
Jails throughout the U.S. are in crisis. The U.S. has the highest percentage of the population in jail of any major country. Why are we surprised by the condition of overcrowded jails?
Our government is quick to investigate jail conditions but refuses to address the root causes of overcrowding. How many inmates are there because they cannot afford a lawyer or bail for minor crimes? How many inmates are awaiting a bond hearing, lawyer, or trial date? How many families are in crisis because the breadwinner is in jail for crimes of trying to feed their family?
Solving these problems is far cheaper than the cost of incarceration or the construction of more jails.
MARK TURPIN, ROSWELL
Trump unfit to carry torch for democracy
You think Joe Biden is too old to run for reelection? Trump is only a few years younger and not even close to being as cognitively sound, emotionally stable, or physically fit.
It is difficult to understand how so many remain politically loyal to a man whose vitriol and meanness towards anyone who opposes him bears no mark of civility. I cannot imagine that his supporters would allow their children to speak in the way he does towards others. I can tell you that whether you align with the Republican Party or Democratic Party, it’s not reflective of the Christian upbringing that I had. Why elevate such a man as an example of leadership for your children? The Republican Party is dissolving itself of the leadership that makes this country great, choosing instead to align with those who follow in Trump’s destructive path. We all deserve better than this from our leaders.
You want to uphold the foundations of our democracy and human and civil rights? Donald Trump doesn’t even pretend to carry that torch.
DEBRA HIERS, ATLANTA
