RE “THE prison boom comes home to roost’’ (Op-ed, Nov. 8): Indeed the prison boom has come home to roost — right here in Massachusetts. James Carroll, as usual, offers a moral compass to help us navigate our way out of the treacherous waters of mass incarceration, that scourge that sucks the life from families and communities by misappropriating our resources. May Governor Patrick and the electorate heed Carroll’s call for a new direction.
Fresh from his hard-won reelection to a second term, Patrick and his administration now have a second chance to correct the Massachusetts Department of Correction. A vacancy in the department’s commissioner’s post is imminent. This is a critical opportunity for the governor to appoint a leader who can bridge the divide between human services and public safety and show the other 49 states how to allocate resources that create healthy communities and a vibrant economy.
Nancy W. Ahmadifar
Boston 
