PRISON REVIEW IS NEEDED

I applaud the editorial on Attorney General Bill Lockyer and the
California Department of Corrections (``Unlike Lungren, Lockyer will
target abuse in prisons,'' Opinion, Feb. 3). As someone who has
professionally spent the last 30 years working with law enforcement
agencies and corrections departments across the country, I believe
that your editorial got it exactly right.

Prisons are not a visible part of government and they are largely
unknown to most citizens. However, California operates the largest
prison system in the Western world, and the Department of Corrections
is, by far, our largest and most expensive state agency. California
needs and deserves a correctional system which is professional, safe
and constitutionally operated. Lockyer's stance is long overdue and a
breath of fresh air.

Jeffrey A. Schwartz, Saratoga