Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Letters: Oct. 4, 1982
Behind Bars
To the Editors:
When considering prisons [Sept. 13], it should be kept in mind that every inmate is there by choice. He made the decision to do time the moment he committed the crime.
Alan Sergeant
San Diego
Your article "What Are Prisons For?" lays bare the improvidence of our attitude toward criminal justice. The deadening boredom and persistent threat of assault that accompany prison life are transforming nonviolent offenders into violent ones. Further, the ultimate costs to society are ominous, both in dollars expended to build and maintain the prisons and...
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