I hear people debate this at the water cooler daily. Not the water cooler at the Reader. I don't hang out there.

But, various water coolers. Oh yeah, I go into offices around the city, and listen to what all the buzz is about.

No, but seriously, the times I've been in various places, I hear people talking about this. And, the Union-Tribune has a story on it daily.

It's that woman with three kids, that lives in Carmel Valley and escaped a prison in Detroit.

A lot of people feel that since she is living a good life, it would be disruptive to her children and she's clearly rehabilitated, why send her back?

Well, basically, this issue should not be debated. The simple fact is this: she should be returned to prison. She should have to finish her sentence. And, she should have additional time added on for the escape (that's usually how that works when you escape).

To say that all she did was sell drugs, is ridiculous. She sold heroin. That's not just a bag of weed (she said in one statement, she was just a "John Lennon hippie").

Jail is not just about rehabilitating. I think, first and foremost, going to prison is about being punished for a crime you were found guilty of committing.

If we go down this path, what happens when there's a minority, that stabbed his girlfriend in the shoulder in 1973. We find him now, and he owns his own mechanic business. He has a wife and kids. He hasn't stabbed them. Or anyone else, in 30 years. Does he not get punished for the first attempted murder? We then have that can of worms opened, about why a rich white woman was treated differently.

You can't be so thick as to say "selling drugs isn't like stabbing someone." Really? Why not? Heroin causes addiction, and death. And crime.

Stabbing, in a lot of ways, is a lot less of a crime. You're angry, you grab a steak knife, and you yell, "You're wrong about the Chargers offensive line," as that Pyscho violin plays in your head.

Now, I would have no problem if the state wanted to say to her, "Look, putting you in prison costs money. You obviously aren't committing crimes now. So, we're going to give you 10 years probation; 1,000 hours community service. And, you can pay a fee of $5 million."

Yes, that's a high amount. But, they can sell that three million dollar home they have. Pay a few million there. And, they can work out a payment plan for the rest.

Sure, that disrupts the kids lives a little. But, it gives her a chance to teach them a lesson about crime, not paying the piper, and owning up to your obligations. I guess if she didn't have to go back to prison, they'd learn that doing something wrong can sometimes benefit you, as long as you aren't caught (and by the way, anyone know how she was caught? someone turned her in, but...was she that stupid that she told someone about her past?)

If her and her husband don't like selling that house, because the kids wouldn't be able to keep their big rooms, with posters of the Spice Girls on the wall; well, she can have a much smaller room, with grey bars, and "wanted" posters on the walls.