Caged therapy for prison inmates; California’s expanding death row; the U.S. and the metric system

The cages must go

Re “Inmates caged for therapy,” Dec. 28

If the vision of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is “a safer California through correctional excellence,” then citizens and legislators should demand that this therapeutic practice of caged group therapy for mentally ill inmates end.

As a matter of public safety, we all ought to be very concerned that this inhumane practice occurs without a basic consideration that these inmates, unless they are sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, will probably be released.

Rehabilitation practices in California’s prison system were once a model for the nation. Perhaps ending this practice can start an authentic reform of our prison system.

Luis S. Garcia

Montebello

We are living in a “bizarro” world when our government spends $358 million to provide therapy to 36,000 prisoners and intends to cut $133 million from the program that provides services to families with kids who have serious mental health issues.

Not only that, but the therapists — who have to sit far away from the prisoners to avoid being urinated on and who have to wear flak jackets — are upset because these mentally ill, maximum security inmates have to be confined to cages during therapy. I repeat: bizarro.

FOR THE RECORD:
Name: The last name of letter writer Nora Pouliot was misspelled as Poulior in the Dec. 31 edition. —

Nora Poulior

Redondo Beach

“Therapeutic modules?” Who thought up that one? I thought I was reading a piece from the 19th century.

Caging inmates in the 21st century, no matter the rationale for therapeutic benefits, is simply inhumane. The safety of the therapist shouldn’t require stripping the mentally disturbed prisoner of human dignity.

Find a less humiliating method.

Dan Gingold

Sherman Oaks

Has it really occurred to no one in the prison system to use closed-circuit TV technology for prisoner therapy sessions? Or how about a thick glass plate with a speaking hole in the middle, like you and I use at the movie theater?

I can already hear the protests that these options would be dehumanizing, but surely they would be no more so than the metal cages and the shiv-proof vests that are currently in use.

If webcams are good enough for business executives and grandmas, what’s wrong with using them for prisoners and their therapists? Too simple? Too inexpensive?

David Salahi

Laguna Niguel

A death row numbers game

Re “Crowd grows on death row,” Dec. 29

This article nearly brings my blood to a boil. We have 717 inmates on death row, costing taxpayers more than $100 million a year. Yet we cannot proceed with any executions because of lawsuits and a lack of suitable chemicals.

With a state deficit of about $28 billion and police officers and teachers being laid off, why not take a baby step to solving this problem? Services for productive, honest citizens are being held ransom by known killers.

Michael L. Friedman

Torrance

Because the League of Women Voters has called for the abolition of the death penalty, I have suggested that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger commute all of California’s hundreds of death sentences to life in prison without the possibility of parole before leaving office on Monday, as Gov. George Ryan of Illinois did with his state’s death sentences in 2003.

I’d like to thank The Times for documenting how the capital punishment system here is a costly, inefficient government program. It’s tragic how some people — like a district attorney the article quotes — who might demand cost/benefit analyses of other programs insist that when implementing the death penalty, cost shouldn’t be a consideration.

I hope The Times will ask our governor about this before he leaves office.

David A. Holtzman

Los Angeles

The writer is president of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles.

In the same issue in which The Times reported that 717 inmates are on death row, we learn that Cuba has just commuted the death sentence of the last person on its death row.

No doubt this is because most of the people in California are religious while the poor benighted Cubans are godless communists.

Naidu Permaul

Pacific Palisades

Making it a metric U.S.

Re “Can the U.S. inch toward a new yardstick?” Dec. 25

If in recent decades Australia, Canada and South Africa were able to successfully convert to the metric system, I don’t understand why the U.S. can’t. Just as English has become the lingua franca of commerce and technology, the metric system has long been the lingua franca not just of medicine and science but of everyday measurement as well.

The Times could educate its readers by including metric units in its maps, diagrams and weather reports.

Harold N. Bass

Porter Ranch

Two arguments for why the U.S. has not converted to the metric system are that Americans do not understand it and that it requires considerable changes to machinery and production equipment.

The metric system, once it is learned, is much clearer and simpler. Because we are now in a global economy, the second argument does not hold up. Almost all countries have converted to the metric system. Canada and Mexico, our next-door neighbors and NAFTA partners, have converted to it.

When our sons were in school 35 years ago, they studied the metric system because “it was on its way.” What happened?

James Nelson

Stanton, Calif.

Helping vets

Re “Ex-Marine finds his calling: standing up for injured vets,” Column, Dec. 27

As discouraging as Steve Peck’s report is on the failure of our federal government in helping vets transition to civilian life, it’s even more discouraging to look at the results of the last congressional elections.

For more than 60 years the Kennedys have held congressional seats, but that will end next month with Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s departure. Without the compassion and wisdom of a Kennedy in Congress, hopes dim for any improvement in the way we treat our men and women who have given so much so that we may enjoy our freedoms.

Maybe Peck should run for office.

Robert C. Thompson

Marina del Rey

That’s rich!

Re “ Turkey wants better ties with Israel,” Dec. 26

So Turkey is willing to restore its diplomatic ties with Israel only if Israel apologizes for its actions concerning the Turkish activists aboard a ship who were killed trying to break a blockade of Gaza Strip ports.

I find that terribly interesting. Turkey refuses to apologize in any way for the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in the first part of the 20th century that took part on Turkish soil. Turkey claims that its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, did not commit genocide.

So much for Turkey demanding apologies from others.

Bob Aronoff

South Pasadena

Deadly food

Re “More fast-food excess is coming,” Business, Dec. 24

Primarily due to food and other lifestyle choices, an American dies of heart disease about every 30 seconds. No terrorist organization could hope for results like this.

Our poor choices are facilitated by the ubiquitous fast-food outlets. It’s astonishing to read that they plan to make even more unhealthful offerings.

Sandy Warf

Seal Beach