PRISONER SUPPORTS HALFWAY HOUSE

DULUTH, Minn. - I have served four years of an 8 1/2-year sentence in
a federal prison camp for nonviolent offenders in Duluth, Minn. With
good time and programs, I am eligible for release in about two years.
My crime was drug conspiracy, for transporting drugs.

It has come to my attention that a proposal for a halfway house in
Green Bay is being considered. A halfway house in Green Bay would
allow me to reestablish family ties and find stable employment for my
successful re-integration into society. For me, and many other federal
inmates like me, going to the halfway house in Milwaukee serves little
or no purpose. Therefore, I feel a halfway house in the Green Bay area
is vital.

I understand the community concerns regarding safety, but they should
understand that this would be a federal-only halfway house and most
federal inmates are nonviolent, low-level drug offenders or
white-collar offenders.

Upon my release, I will be eligible for six months in a halfway house
under strict supervision. So please, Green Bay, let me come home to
the city I grew up in and have grown to miss.

Todd LaTour