Letter To The Editor.

From the Editor's Desk
A few days ago I received a letter from Mr. Bill Smith, the school teacher at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's. Mr. Smith had gotten a request from several inmates who wanted to submit articles in the Time on the Line. Obviously, this request would be honoured. The school newspaper looks forward to receiving letters, poems, articles, and fictional stories from inmates who are incarcerated in other prison facilities across Newfoundland and Labrador.

Keep sending them along. We'll do our best to have your written material printed.

Letter to the Editor
My name is C. O'K and I am an inmate at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in St. John's. Would you please print my letter in Time on the Line.

Education is one of the most important aspects of life, whether one is on the inside (prison) or out (society). Knowledge is the meat, the salt and pepper, the flavour of that which is the sandwich of life. A well-known Greek philosopher by the name of Plato, who studied under the great Socrates, once said: "It is better to be unborn than untaught, for ignorance is the root of misfortune." This of course is much more than one's philosophy or belief; it is a global reality.

Sociological statistics show that the higher level of education one possesses correlates to a lower ratio of crime that might be committed by that individual. basically, the higher the education you have the smaller the chances are that you will come in conflict with the law. But, of course, this is common knowledge.

I would like, at this time, to encourage inmates reading this letter to take advantage of any and all educational opportunities you can while incarcerated. Acquiring a Grade XII equivalency diploma may seem like a lot of work but the sense of accomplishment that one derives from having a Grade XII education knows no bounds.

Any computer skills that may be obtained at this time would turn waste of time into a productive period of learning. This is especially true in this age of computers where computer skills are an added advantage on almost everyone's resume.

The benefits of a higher education are always great. In the absence of education, one can only look toward failure. Advanced training is often the key to success. The time is now and you can do it. Do not make the mistake of thinking you're not smart enough. Of course, you're not smart enough, yet. Thus, the acquisition of higher education. When one learns one becomes smart enough and we are always smart enough to learn.