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Reversing overincarceration trends: A national perspective

A reversal of trends in Texas, reports the Pew Center on the States, contributed to the first recorded decline in the national prison population since The Godfather won Oscar for best picture. Here's why:Texas: In January 2007, Texas faced a projected prison population increase of up to 17,000 inmates in just five years. Rather than spend nearly $2 billion on new prison construction and operations to accommodate this growth, policy makers reinvested a fraction of this amount ($241 million) in a network of residential and community-based treatment and diversion programs. This has greatly expanded sentencing options for new offenses and sanctioning options for probation violators. Texas also increased its parole grant rate and shortened probation terms...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on March 17, 2010 (boomark / email).