I have not followed this story at all, I just happened to see it in the New York Times today. Apparently, an athlete named Marion Jones has had some legal difficulties. There’s the issue of using performance enhancing drugs, being “connected” to some check fraud ring, and then lying about it to a judge. All crimes, I grant you that.

But she was sentenced to six months in jail?

Ridiculous.

First, this woman is not a threat to society. Jail/Prison is for those people who cannot keep themselves from harming other people, or expropriating property which does not belong to them. Those are the only compelling reasons to put someone behind bars.

How about this for punishment. First, if she did commit check fraud - which I assume she did not since she is only serving six months - then she should be made to pay restitution. If we merely put her behind bars, then the victims get to pay TWICE for her crimes - once in the swindle, and again through taxes to keep her in three-hots-and-a-cot.

Next, how about this: instead of sending her to jail, let’s make her coach Special Olympics for six months, or an inner-city track team? But WHY make ME pay her way? Make her do something of value in the community that she wouldn’t otherwise do.

Same goes for all the other white collar criminals out there. We should have taken Michael Milken and Ivan Boesky years ago, and made them do credit counseling in Queens or something. AND we could have used them as fundraisers for the Red Cross, or United Way. They have lots of fancy friends they could have shaken down for big money all for the betterment of society, but instead we put them in jail, and let them rot.

That is dumb public policy.