INMATE WAITING FOR RELEASE

TO THE EDITOR: In response to state Rep. Fred Morgan ("Point of View,"
Dec. 15): Not all inmates are hardened criminals. Some of us just got
caught in our own addiction, whether it was marijuana or
methamphetamine.

I realize I must pay my debt to society, which I've been doing for the
past three years. I've missed my son's first day of school and his
first game of T- ball, along with all his birthdays and holidays. Each
day is a passing reminder of where I went wrong.

We all seem to hope and pray for an early release. I'm eligible for
parole in June 2003. I've been at a community work center for almost a
year. I feel like a completely different person.

With the state's budget crisis, let's devise a plan where some inmates
who are non-violent, first-time offenders could actually pay for their
freedom. I would be willing to pay $500 a month back to the state. My
family and career means that much to me. I'm serving a 10- year
sentence for my first offense.

Tommy Green, a licensed journeyman plumber, is an inmate at the Beaver Work
Center.