TEXAS NOW HAS MORE PRISONERS THAN CALIFORNIA

Texas has edged out California as the state with the largest prison population, with one out of every 20 adults in the Lone Star State behind bars, on probation or under some form of criminal control, Justice Department statistics show.

Until last year, California led the nation in prison population. Texas moved ahead this year.

The study of the Texas criminal justice system was released by the Justice Policy Institute, which favors rehabilitation over imprisonment.

The institute, which used Justice Department figures for the study, said the high incarceration rate in Texas has not had a parallel effect on crime rates. From 1995 to 1998, Texas' crime rate fell 5.1 percent, a much slower pace than the 10 percent decline in crime nationwide and the lowest among the five largest states.

By comparison, California reported a 23 percent decline in crime over those years, while New York's crime rate declined 21 percent, Illinois' by 9 percent and Florida's by 5.9 percent.

Justice Policy Institute director Vincent Schiraldi said the Texas prison system is growing faster than any other in the country, with 163,000 people in prison and another 537,000 under control of the criminal justice system through probationary orders, bail or other sorts of justice control. Texas has a population of about 20 million. The institute figured the incarceration rates on the adult population of 14 million.

If Texas were a country, Schiraldi said, it would have the highest incarceration rate for its population in the world.

Larry Todd, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, disputed the group's conclusions. "I wonder how many came down here to interview,'' he said. "We're running a fairly humane and efficient system here."

Todd said the increased prison population is a direct result of get-tough policies Texas voters approved in a series of elections over the last decade rather than any administrative decisions made by Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

"They've voted two bond issues for $4 billion in new prison construction, and the same taxpayers have asked legislators to strengthen laws to incarcerate prisoners," Todd said. "We're dealing with issues on the grass roots here, where taxpayers said they're tired of crime."

Todd said Texans are satisfied that crime rates are dropping. "If you use your good old gut common sense and logic, if the crooks are being locked up, the crime rates are going to be going down."

Justice Department statistics show that over the last decade, the Texas prison population has been growing at the rate of 11.8 percent a year - the greatest increase in the country.