By MICHAEL HAWTHORNE

Crime-busters

Democrat Al Hofeld and Republican Jim Ryan bring different backgrounds to the attorney general's race. Although the state's chief lawyer has little to do with prosecuting criminals, each has made crime a campaign centerpiece

Hofeld

Ryan

Al Hofeld and Jim Ryan each thinks he is best qualified to serve as Illinois attorney general. But while both men are lawyers, their backgrounds are vastly different. Hofeld, a Democrat, is a millionaire personal-injury lawyer from Winnetka who first ran for elected office in 1992 in an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate nomination. He says his courtroom skills, honed over 30 years, would make him the best lawyer to represent the people. Raised by a single mother who didn't receive child support, Hofeld has listed the well-being of children and the collection of child support as top concerns.

Ryan is a Bensenville Republican who currently serves as DuPage County state's attorney. He lost the attorney general's race in 1990 to Democrat Roland Burris, who this year made an unsuccessful bid for his party's gubernatorial nomination. A prosecutor since 1971, Ryan says his experience would enable him to lead a statewide "assault on violent crime," even though Illinois' attorney general plays a minor role in that area. Still, opinion polls show crime is a key issue for voters this year. Ryan has been holding "End the Violence" seminars throughout the state during the summer to draw attention to his anti-crime platform.

While the two candidates are debating their respective approaches to the office, Hofeld's wealth has become a campaign issue again, just as it did in 1992 and during this year's primary election. He lent his campaign $1.53 million during the first half of the year and says he'll chip in as much as it takes to fund television and radio ads before the November 8 general election. Ryan has been collecting large donations from corporations, interest groups and Republican fundraisers, but acknowledges he can't match Hofeld's bank account.

The attorney general's chief duty is to represent state officials and agencies before courts. The office also prosecutes antitrust, consumer fraud, civil rights and pollution violations, but leaves most criminal prosecutions to state's attorneys.

Ryan and Hofeld both say that's not enough. Ryan vows to crack down on domestic violence and gang crime. He favors juvenile boot camps, mandatory jail time for children who have guns and trying as adults children as young as 14 who commit violent crimes. He also supports so-called "truth in sentencing" legislation that would require prison inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their sentences (the current average is about 50 percent). Moreover, Ryan vows to expand violence prevention programs, along with mentoring and vocational training for troubled youths. Many of the programs could be funded out of the new federal crime bill, he says.

Hofeld says the state should re-establish parole boards that decide when a prison inmate is ready for release. That way, he says, violent offenders could be kept in prison for longer periods while nonviolent criminals could be freed to make room for more dangerous felons. He also wants to increase alternative sentencing programs for nonviolent offenders and expand prison work programs.

Hofeld vows to raise the heat on parents who do not pay child support by stripping them of their driving privileges (even though that's the secretary of state's bailiwick). He promises to circulate "wanted" poster-style fliers of fathers who ignore their financial obligations — similar to action taken in other states.

Both men survived bruising primary campaigns. Ryan bested Woodstock lawyer Jeff Ladd, while Hofeld beat former Chicago Ald. Marty Oberman.

Ryan, 48, has been the DuPage County state's attorney since 1984. Prior to that, he was an assistant and first assistant prosecutor in the office and operated a private law firm. Ryan has a bachelor's degree from Illinois Benedictine College and a law degree from the Chicago-Kent School of Law. He is married and has six children.

Hofeld, 57, is a graduate of Harvard University and the law school of the University of Chicago. He is the founding and senior member of Hofeld and Schaffner in Chicago, which he started in 1968 after a stint with another firm. Hofeld has four children — three from his first marriage, which ended in divorce, and one with his second wife.

The Libertarian candidate is Natalie dark of DeKalb, a law professor and assistant provost at Northern Illinois University. dark said she agreed to appear on the ticket but doesn't plan to actively campaign for the post.