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OK - Republican lawmakers shifting tough-on-crime stance as state budget problems multiply

Original Article 01/31/2011 By SEAN MURPHY OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? When Harry Coates campaigned for the Oklahoma state Senate in 2002, he had one approach to crime: "Lock 'em up and throw away the key." Now, Coates is looking for that key. He and other tough-on-crime lawmakers across the country, faced with steep budget shortfalls, are searching anxiously for ways to let inmates out of prison faster and keep more offenders on the street. Oklahoma's preferred answer for crime has collided head-on with a budget deficit estimated at $600 million, and prison costs that have increased more than 30 percent in the last decade. For years, lawmakers have pushed each other to lengthen prison sentences and increase the number of criminals behind bars...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sex Offender Issues on January 31, 2011 (boomark / email).