Downey’s Prison Term for Drugs
Re “Actor Downey Doing Hard Time for an Illness,” Nov. 3:
I agree with Mike Downey’s position opposing the incarceration of drug addicts. However, I object to his using Robert Downey Jr. as his poster boy. He does not so much as acknowledge the poor and unknown who constitute the overwhelming majority of those who find themselves in prison for drug use. Most of those have not been given the special considerations that Downey Jr. received. One’s acting ability, moneyed connections and charm should not determine incarceration or freedom.
I find Mike Downey’s pandering to celebrity offensive.
MONA DAVIS
Cypress
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When are Hollywood stars going to realize they also live in this real world and are subject to laws like you and me? A few years ago I did a 16-month term for drugs; but unlike Robert Downey Jr., I don’t carry guns. I did not receive the prison time for the drugs, per se, but for my refusal to follow the court’s orders. Downey, by screwing up to a greater degree, received a three-year term.
Being only a drug offender, I was placed in Level 1 prison classification. I was issued a tennis racket, basketball and guitar; and I sang in the church choir. The food was always good and except for not being able to leave, I had a pleasant stay. The time I spent in prison for my drug problems helped me more than any rehab facility could. Drug testing and counseling will not work for people who feel they are smart enough to beat the system.
All his legal maneuvers and high-priced lawyer action make all of us who require public defenders sick and disgusted. I suggest the actor should play his finest role here: Grow up, own up to your responsibilities, pay your debt to society, stop whining and take it like a man.
ANTHONY SCIARRA
Alhambra
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When are we as a so-called civilized society going to realize that it is counterproductive to spend billions of dollars to build more and more prisons to house people who are sick?
It would be much less expensive and more beneficial to society and addicted individuals to provide adequate treatment facilities. Maybe with the money that is saved we could even provide decent medical care for those unable to afford it.
MORRIS KUSHNER
Santa Monica