Reading about ex Governor Blagojevich going to the Federal Correctional Institution (“Blagojevich to serve sentence in Colorado prison”, News, Feb.15) makes me think that there must be a better way to punish non-violent criminals. This is especially the case since we are often reading about murderers being released from jail due to overcrowding in prisons and these murderers repeating violent crimes.
No doubt, it is costing taxpayers.
Why not make Blagojevich wear an orange prison jumpsuit every day, be electronically monitored, perform a municipal service job, such as driving a CTA bus, so he could be home every night with his wife and children? Plus, he is paying his own way, and we keep the violent offenders in jail, instead of wasting money on non-violent ones. He could report to work every day and if he violates the rules, then he goes to prison. I believe that in addition to feeling his power stripped, he would feel some humility from this type of arrangement. With the surveillance and monitoring available today, more creative solutions need to be investigated.
–Mike McLaughlin, Evanston
