Dear Editor,
It is very disappointing to continuously observe convicts being subjected to very long stretches in prison, including life sentences.
I expect that judges would appreciate that our prison system is not only a penal institution, but primarily a correctional one, and would hand down judgements that take this into consideration.
When one who has committed a crime is incarcerated, the primary purposes, in my mind, are to take steps to make him realise his wrongdoing; try to instill in him proper ways of behaviour, proper use of his conscience in all his actions; and to make him always keep in mind the effects of his actions on others.
I am so astonished that those in authority should condemn supposed criminals for long periods, without seeming to appreciate that our first duty to those who are accused of wrongdoing is to search for ways by which they can be educated on the proper ways of living, and to help them to regain their proper places in our society.
I would also expect that those who control our prisons are properly equipped in this process, and appreciate their obligations in this process of reformation.
Yours sincerely,
Roy Paul
