STEVE LOPEZ & “THE SOLOIST”
20Apr08
Hope you enjoyed this morning’s interview with Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez. His book “the Soloist” is now available in bookstores citywide. Here is a link to his interview.Filed under: Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Your interview of Steve Lopez was very moving, as were Mr Lopez’s comments about our unfulfilled promises for caring of the mentally handicapped. What I can’t understand is how we can spend $25,000 to $40,000/year (Over $10B/year of the California Budget) for incarcerating convicted criminals, 75% of whom are repeat offenders, while not addressing the mentally handicapped and street people. I have also read that as much as 50% of the street people are veterans.
Our priorities appear to be way off. I recall a visit to the restored Old Williamsburg, Va. and how they handled criminals. No prisons, only a jail that the prisoners would stay in for 1-30 days until the monthly court was held at which time the prisoners were found innocent and freed, or found guilty which for lessor crimes was 24-48 hrs of public humilation, to the more serious brading or hanging. They didn’t believe that incarceration of convicted criminals with fellow criminals (all with free shelter, food, education and medical care) would reabilitate them and years later it is statistically still true. Our priorities are misguided
Thanks for helping inform the general public of the work Mr Lopez has/is doing and the plight of the poor abandoned soles on L.A.s skid row.