OPINION:
Pat Nolan was convicted of a felony and put in jail for two years, yet he writes that the government should have let him remain free so he could have been at home to help his wife with their three kids (“Keeping families together must be a priority for the criminal justice system,” Web, July 8). “My imprisonment caused serious disruption for my family,” he writes. “I was no longer able to provide the financial and emotional support they needed.” Then why did he commit a felony as Republican leader of the California State Assembly? If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.
The op-ed by Mr. Nolan, who is now director of the Nolan Center for Justice Reform and the American Conservative Union Foundation, is beyond reproach in its stupidity. Mr. Nolan writes that criminals like himself should be given extra consideration because they have kids at home. He writes that 1 of every 28 children in the U.S. has a parent behind bars. He wants to loosen up the punishment so these parents can be restricted to their homes rather than jails.
But why didn’t he stay home in the first place and not commit a crime? Imagine how many more crimes would be committed if felons knew they could do their time at home with their families. What a ridiculous recommendation. No more donations from me to the American Conservative Union Foundation.
CYNTHIA NEU MCCLUSKEY
Falls Church, Va.
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