It did not surprise me to read that elitist lawmakers in Raleigh laughed at fellow Rep. Ronnie Sutton for suggesting that they show a little backbone and maybe have the slightest bit of compassion for the poor who are incarcerated in North Carolina's prisons.

It is this kind of attitude that causes the divide between the haves and the have-nots to become an even greater divide. We know that locking everyone up is not the solution, yet the message we hear is "it's just a bunch of poor black folk mostly so we don't care."

The state legislature needs to wake up and take notice that the problem does exist and needs to be addressed. More prisons and longer sentences are not the answer. Prevention, intervention, education and, yes, even reduced sentences could be some of the solutions.

I know this is not popular in Raleigh, but those who have closed minds don't seek solutions, they laugh. I'm sorry if you think prison is funny or a joke; it is neither. This is not a laughing matter. I know because I see it every day from the inside.

Kenneth Ray Lawson

Maury

(The writer is an inmate at Eastern Correctional Institution.)