A couple of years ago, I wrote an essay for my college writing class titled, “Is Maine’s judicial system too lenient?”

I cited two cases involving drunken drivers. In one case, a 16-year-old boy was struck by a truck, left on the side of the road and died a short time later. After a short, but very agonizing trial, the defendant was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to spend nine months in jail. The other case was a fatality involving a drunken driver on Webster Street in Lewiston. This defendant was found guilty of aggravated drunken driving and sentenced to four years in jail. In the past few months, both of these defendants were once again on the road and stopped for driving under the influence.

An accident recently occurred on the Maine Turnpike that involved a person who has had 42 convictions of traffic violations and 19 license suspensions. Once again, a fatality occurred. In the Aug. 7 Sun Journal, I read where this individual was stopped once again and charged with driving after his license had been suspended.

A license is just a piece of paper. People will drive whether they have it in their possession or not. The only way to keep these dangerous people off the streets is to sentence them to longer jail time and hold them accountable for the crimes they have committed.

Trudy Duval, Lisbon