Unless the selves Ms. Lord has left behind included the people who tell their stories in her book.

Ms. Lord said the law also has social benefits.

Ms. Lord estimates that the theft of confidential corporate information has increased more than 300 percent in the last five years.

"It's one way the house forces me to break from the day," Ms. Lord said.

Ms. Lord, 54, left China, her homeland, when she was 8 and did not return for 27 years.

To Ms. Lord, "in order for people to understand why have college at prison, you need to focus on children."

"I think they had more reviews in those days than we did," Ms. Lord said.

Ms. Lord has a slightly guarded dream for the future.

"This ought to be a good time for family issues," Ms. Lord said.

But Ms. Lord has no illusions about the prison population.