August 3, 2009
Governor’s inmate reduction program: How will it work?
As police officers and deputies are being laid off across California, the idea is almost breathtaking: Reduce California's prison population by 27,300 inmates, partly by letting some out of the gates. The plan, part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's piecemeal effort to balance the budget, is designed to trim corrections spending by $1.2 billion.
But it has rattled the nerves of local law enforcement leaders and crime victim advocates who say the loss of front-line officers has made communities vulnerable. They wonder how the state will keep its vow to release only low-risk offenders and keep tabs on them…
LINK - SacBee.com
