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The state of cost problems in the states of prison nation

By Douglas A. Berman

Now available here via Stateline.org is an effective article about state struggles with prison costs appearing in the  "State of the States 2009" publication put together by the folks at The Pew Center on the States.  The piece is titled "Strapped states eye prison savings" and here are a few choice snippets: Faced with a surging prison population and a state budget more than $1 billion in the red, Gov. Steve Beshear and Kentucky lawmakers last year took a dramatic step that they hoped would save $30 million over two years: granting early release to more than 1,800 inmates, including some felons convicted of murder, rape and other violent crimes. Kentucky?s prisoner release plan, which touched off a political firestorm and prompted a court challenge from the state?s attorney general ? like Beshear, a Democrat ? is an example of the difficult criminal justice decisions some states could face this year...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on January 28, 2009 (boomark / email).