To the Editor:

It is a great disappointment when a politician like California's governor, Gray Davis, capitalizes on public support for tough crime legislation to further his own political ambitions ( news article, May 23 ).  Harsh criminal justice measures may offer fast, visible improvements, but they also result in distressing long-term consequences.

True solutions to today's criminal justice challenges lie in rehabilitative programs that prepare those who go through the system to be productive members of the society they will one day rejoin.

The public is drawn to policies that deny the complexities of real world situations -- policies like the "three strikes" law and the Rockefeller drug laws in New York.  Mr.  Davis is inoculating himself against criticism from potential opponents by going along with this public sentiment.  This kind of passive opportunism may be a wise move in today's political climate, but history will judge him harshly.

JACOB KOSKOFF, Brooklyn, May 24, 2000