Jeremy Jordan wrote his letter from the Oregon State Penitentiary in Salem on college-ruled paper, using the neat penmanship and careful paragraphs of a person with time for multiple drafts.

Jordan, 32, has about five years left in prison for hitting a bicyclist last spring in Northeast Portland after a Friday night out drinking. Though Jordan accepts responsibility for the hit-and-run crash, he also raises a haunting question:

What if Multnomah County had taken seriously his first arrest in 2004 for drunken driving, rather than giving him a stern look and a wink?

"Had that occurred, it's very possible I wouldn't be in prison," Jordan wrote, in response to a recent column about Oregon's inconsistent attitude toward drunken driving. "I hope more ... measures will be taken to prevent future lives from being ruined."

Read the full article