LIFE IN PRISON

To the editor:

I was so upset by your article, "Hospital of Horrors" (Oct. 19, 2005), that
I had to stop reading and take a deep breath.

I served nine years and three months on a 24-year sentence. I would
have stayed in prison until 2012 if President Clinton hadn't granted
my clemency petition in 2000. I am one of the lucky few, which is why
I have started a foundation, Clemency for All Non-violent Drug
Offenders (CAN-DO, www.candoclemency.com), to advocate clemency for
women serving heinous sentences for conspiracy. I left so many women
behind with stories you can't imagine.

Thanks so much for your important look into a very dark place. These
institutions desperately need oversight. There is a long list of areas
within the Bureau of Prisons that need a spotlight and journalists
like you to uncover some very ugly realities.

Amy Ralston

Malibu, Calif.