A Good Thing

Martha Stewart calls for reforming America's drug laws:

When one is incarcerated with 1,200 other inmates, it is hard to be selfish at Christmas—hard to think of Christmases past and Christmases future—that I know will be as they always were for me—beautiful! So many of the women here in Alderson will never have the joy and wellbeing that you and I experience. Many of them have been here for years—devoid of care, devoid of love, devoid of family.

I beseech you all to think about these women—to encourage the American people to ask for reforms, both in sentencing guidelines, in length of incarceration for nonviolent first-time offenders, and for those involved in drug-taking. They would be much better served in a true rehabilitation center than in prison where there is no real help, no real programs to rehabilitate, no programs to educate, no way to be prepared for life "out there" where each person will ultimately find herself, many with no skills and no preparation for living.