I was troubled by the police report about a young couple arrested and jailed for stealing infant formula ("Cops: Couple stole formula," July 30).
I do not know the couple or the circumstances that drove them to steal, but I found their arrests alarming. They were put in jail; the child taken to protective services.
As the mother of a small child, my heart goes out to this family. Are there no better ways to address this sad situation than to separate a baby from his or her parents?
I hope an excellent attorney will come to their aid. Furthermore, I hope this incident will prompt a broader discussion about poverty and the criminal justice system.
There is something fundamentally wrong when parents are desperate enough to steal infant formula and when our government sees no other way to remedy this problem than to put them in jail.
ABBY KINCHY
Troy