PRISONERS MUST BE TREATED HUMANELY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 2, 1993                   TAG: 9304020452
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
PRISONERS MUST BE TREATED HUMANELY
RECENT LETTERS concerning prisoners in the city jail have been amusing. There have been suggestions to let the inmates paint walls and wash windows. Of course, there are few windows in the jail, and the halls are narrow enough that four inmates painting would get in each other's way. One reader stated that six inmates could easily share a cell equipped with two cots. I suppose the prisoners could sleep in shifts.
I realize that these kind letter-writers would be quite pleased if every prisoner in the jail were hanged and quickly disposed of. I can only be thankful that they do not have control over our society.
Because a person has broken the law does not mean he or she has lost their humanity. Prisoners in every jail deserve fair, humane treatment. The city jail is not a luxury hotel as some of the letter-writers have implied. No jail is, nor should it be.
Picture yourself on an elevator with six other people that gets stuck between floors for two to three years. That might be close to what it feels like to be in jail.
Before you think I'm an ex-con, let me say that I've never even had a speeding ticket. I do try not to judge people as a group. I believe every person deserves a second or even a third chance. We must remember that each prisoner in the city jail is a human being. DONNA NOONKESTER ROANOKE

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB