Harsh Prison Punishments Undeserved

To the editors:

I am entirely in agreement with The Crimson's conclusion in "Free Vali" that, even if he is found guilty, Vali D. Chandrasekaran '03 should not be made to serve anywhere near 20 years in prison (Editorial, Feb. 7). However, I was disappointed by the editors' failure to apply their thinking more broadly, if not more creatively.

I imagine most of us were shocked to learn that one of our peers could go to prison for 20 years for perpetrating an ultimately harmless--though badly botched--prank. But this surprise only reflects the extent to which we are sheltered from the harsh reality of our country's system of punishment. Many of us can use illegal drugs without fear of prison, we can drink while underage. We know that we, like our President, will be given second (and third and fourth) chances when we make mistakes, when our judgment errs.

In the editorial, The Crimson notes that, "While Chandrasekaran's actions may have demonstrated a lack of judgment, his behavior certainly does not warrant jail time. He is no hardened criminal and represents no further menace to society." I was sad to see the Crimson invoke the same tired "tough on crime" rhetoric that often surrounds debates about mandatory minimum sentences, three-strikes laws and the like. I agree: Vali is not a hardened criminal. He is not a menace to society.

But neither is Tonya Drake, 35, a mother of four. She had no criminal record or history of drug use before she made the unfortunate decision to mail a package for a friend in exchange for $44. The package's contents were unknown to her, but happened to contain 200 grams of crack cocaine. She was caught, threw herself on the mercy of the court much like Vali did, and is now serving 10 years in federal prison on a "possession with intent to distribute" conviction. Drake is also black and poor, and has probably never seen Harvard.

Gloria van Winkle, on the other hand, is white and a cocaine addict. She is also a mother, however, and she probably hasn't visited Harvard either. She has two drug possession convictions and was recently caught with $40 worth of cocaine. Under Kansas' three-strikes law, she is officially "out": now serving life in prison.

Are either of these women hardened criminals? Menaces to society? And their cases are hardly unique. More people are in prison in the United States for drug offenses--about 450,000--than are in prison for all crimes in England, France, Germany and Japan combined.