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| WA State Prison Population Decreasing |
| By sanjuanislander.com |
| Published: 03/22/2010 |
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Washington has 655 fewer people in prison today than were incarcerated a year ago. In fact, half of the states have lower prison populations now, according to a new report from Pew Center on the States. Part of the reason is the expense of keeping people locked up, which has prompted many states to consider alternatives. In Washington, anyone who enters the corrections system gets a risk assessment of their likelihood to re-offend. Lenell Nussbaum, a member of the Washington Sentencing Guidelines Commission, says judges also have more leeway in sentencing drug and nonviolent offenders. "For many years the state has operated on a philosophy of 'getting tough on crime.' In more recent years, it has worked very hard to try instead to be 'smart on crime.' We've looked at what actually works in reducing prison populations, without reducing public safety." This year's budget crisis prompted plans to close three state prisons and move some inmates to other facilities. Read More. |
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