Senator Nozzolio's question - “Is the alarming number of prisoners being released a design of poor insight or simply a coincidental occurrence?” - needs to be answered.

What the public may not be aware of is that appointments to the parole board are made by the governor. While Gov. Pataki was in office, the parole board members were ordered “not to release any felon.”

However, when Governor Spitzer took office, he ordered the parole board to instead, follow legislative law. And, according to what parole officials are now telling the media, they are making their decisions based on law.

Contrary to what the senator says about “an inmate's institutional record while being incarcerated is a factor for release,” for more than a decade, this was not the case for anyone guilty of a A-1 felony.

Therefore, those inmates who are finally being released are not “a coincidental occurrence,” it is simply a matter that the parole board is being allowed to follow the legislative intent of the law that an inmate's inside record be looked at.

One of the most significant increases in New York state's budget has been corrections and being “tough on crime” has resulted in little restraint on what was being asked for by those in a position to ask.

As chairman of the Crime and Corrections Committee, the senator was instrumental in getting eight of the last 10 high-tech, total lock-down prisons built in his district. (No wonder he is so vigorously opposed to their closings.)

Studies now show that the drop in crime rates between states that did increase their spending and those that did not over the same period of time, reflected no correlation to the amount of monies spent.

Taxpayers need to be better informed about other unjustified increases in the state's prison budget and therefore, more letters will

follow.

Joyce Hackett Smith-Moore

Moravia