COLUMN WAS UNFAIR TO STATE PRISON SYSTEM

Re: "Prison system out of control" (Opinion, March 6):

While acknowledging that federal authorities prevented the Department of
Corrections from fully investigating the death of a Corcoran State Prison
inmate, Dan Walters' column concerning this incident unfairly casts a
shadow on the entire prison system.

By keeping almost 156,000 convicted felons off the streets, the department
is effectively protecting Californians from the most serious and violent
criminals in this state. The department has managed to bring the escape
rate down to an all-time low, and to cut the rate of inmate incidents in
half since the early '80s.

Reasonable people can disagree about the policies the department uses to
manage the inmate population, but one thing is beyond dispute: The
correctional policies in place today, coupled with increased training for
prison staff, have significantly enhanced public safety.

Since assuming this position seven months ago, I've inspected all 33
California prisons and found the wardens, managers and staff to be
competent, caring professionals. While the system isn't perfect, we're
constantly making improvements. The vast majority of the nearly 44,000
employees in this department are above reproach.

For Walters to depict the alleged wrongdoing of a few individuals as a
system in trouble does a tremendous disservice.

C.A. TERHUNE, Director Department of Corrections