PATRIOT-NEWS: Pennsylvania’s four new prisons, set to open in 2013, will be filled past capacity as soon as they open unless officials implement a variety of changes to alleviate the state’s prison overcrowding, Department of Corrections Sec. Jeffrey Beard told lawmakers Tuesday.
The inmate count is expected to top 54,000 next month, about 10,500 over current capacity….
Beard offered lawmakers five changes that would not cost money to implement, including sending those with a technical parole violation, a small offense such as missing an appointment, to community-based programs and not back to prison; diverting offenders with short sentences into community corrections facilities; and loosening parole restrictions to allow non-violent offenders to be paroled once they’ve served their minimum sentence
The changes could save the state at least $110 million after three years, Beard said. … (more)
