Pat Nolan

Patrick J. Nolan (born 1950) is an American lawyer, politician, and activist.

Political career

Nolan began his career as a conservative activist. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Southern California. He joined Young Americans for Freedom at USC and later became California state chairman of that organization.

In 1978, Nolan was elected to the California State Assembly, serving the 41st district. In 1984, he was elected Minority Leader of that body. After the 1992 redistricting, his seat became the 43rd district.

Incarceration and corrections work

Nolan was prosecuted as part of an FBI sting operation called Shrimpscam to target elected officials who accepted illegal campaign contributions. After entering a guilty plea on one count of racketeering in the mid 1990s, Nolan resigned his seat and spent 25 months in a federal prison and four months in a halfway house. His experiences in prison changed his outlook and the course of his work.

After his release, he began working with Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship Ministries. He is now President of the Justice Fellowship subdivision of the Prison Fellowship Ministries. Nolan is currently a commissioner for the U.S. federal government's National Prison Rape Elimination Commission, a bipartisan panel aimed at curbing prison rape.cite web|url=http://www.nprec.us/commissioners.htm|title=The Commissioners|publisher=National Prison Rape Elimination Commission|accessdate=2008-06-08]

Personal life

Pat Nolan's family includes his wife Gail and three children, Courtney (18), Katie (17), and Jamie (13).

References