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June 2, 2008
 Draft Proposal by Coleman/Plata v. Schwarzenegger Settlement Referee
The proposed settlement includes changes to the parole system, reliance
on diversion programs, as well as plans to build more prison beds. If the
settlement is approved, the state would have until September 2012 to meet
an inmate population target of 132,500, which is a reduction of about
17%, or 27,000 inmates from the current population of 171,000. The
states 33 prisons have capacity for 100,000 inmates. In 2007, there were
141,231 paroled inmates; of those, 92,819 returned to prison, 71,994
returns were due to technical violations, and 20,825 returned as a result
of a new crime.
Provisions of the proposed settlement include the following:
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Increasing the use of non-prison alternatives such as time in county jail
or in local rehabilitation and treatment programs for those who would
otherwise spend one year or less in state prison
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Imposing tighter supervision upon parole violators deemed to be low-risk
according to a new assessment system instead of putting them back in
prison to serve sentences of less than one year
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Changing sentencing credits to allow prisoners to shorten their terms by
completing education and job training programs
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As a last resort if population standards are not met by 2012, requiring
early release of prisoners who have nearly completed their terms
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OPEN MINDS