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Great reporting on what states (and politicians) are now doing with early release programs

By Douglas A. Berman

John Gramlich writing at Stateline.org has this great new piece, which is headlined "A crack in the prison door," that takes a close look developments and debates over early prisoner release programs in the states. Here are excerpts: [A] law that lets some Oregon inmates trim as much as 30 percent from their sentences through expanded ?earned-time credits,? which are awarded to prisoners who finish coursework, gain work experience or otherwise work to improve their lives behind bars. Created to save the state money in extremely lean fiscal times, the law has moved up release dates for about 3,500 prisoners, including about 950 who have already been released from prison an average of 55 days ahead of schedule. But a recent backlash over Oregon?s law serves as a reminder of the political pitfalls that can accompany changes in criminal justice policy, particularly when those changes open prison doors earlier for some inmates...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on February 24, 2010 (boomark / email).