http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/24/america/prison.php?WT.mc_id=newsalertFor nearly three decades, most U.S. states have dealt with lawbreakers in two ways: Lock more of them up for longer periods, and build more prisons to hold them. Now many governments, out of money and buried under mounting prison costs, are reversing many of those policies and practices.
Some states, like Colorado and Nevada, are closing prisons. Others, like Kansas and New Jersey, have replaced jail time with community programs or other sanctions for people who violate parole. Kentucky lawmakers passed a bill this month that enhances the credits some inmates can earn toward release.
Michigan is doing a little of all of this, in addition to freeing some offenders who have yet to serve their maximum sentence, previously anathema. And on Wednesday, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, a Democrat, signed legislation to repeal the state's death penalty, which aside from ethical concerns was seen as costly.
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Over the past 20 years, correction department budgets have quadrupled and now are outpacing every major spending area outside of health care, according to a recent report by the Pew Center on the States. With 73 million Americans in prison, on parole or under probation, states spent $47 billion in 2008, the study said.
-long snip about various States-
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