Pat Nolan

So, ex-Assemblyman Pat Nolan won’t let prison silence his message (Dec. 31)? I wonder how many other prisoners can send 1,800 personal newsletters out of their prison cell? Aside from that, having become a critic of the system he helped create, Nolan “attacked the government’s ‘war on crime.’ ” I guess a liberal is a conservative that has been in prison.

I came across a news release by Sen. Paul Simon (D-Ill.). He had taken a poll of the prison wardens in the United States for a “reality check.” Ninety-two percent said greater use should be made of alternatives to incarceration. Wardens overwhelmingly chose prevention plans when asked to identify the most effective way of fighting crime. Seventy-one percent said improving the educational quality of public schools would make a difference in fighting crime. Sixty-two percent endorsed programs to help parents become better mothers and fathers. In contrast, only 54% said longer sentences for violent criminals would have a major effect on crime.

Are there any people harder on crime than the wardens? Watch out Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.

RICHARD A. HEIN

Fullerton