PRISON POPULATION DROPS FOR FIRST TIME IN YEARS

Crime: The Small Decrease Is Attributed In Part To State's Good Economy And
Better Supervision Of Parolees.

California's prison population declined slightly over the last year,
the first such decrease in more than two decades, Department of
Corrections officials said Monday.

The prison population of 161,401 in late June was 360 below the total
last year at the same time, representing a year-to-year decline not
seen in the nation's largest prison system since 1977.

In describing monthly declines seen late last year for the first time
in recent years, authorities both in and out of the Department of
Corrections attributed the trend to a variety of factors including the
buoyant economy, lower crime rates and improved supervision of parolees.

California Department of Corrections Director Cal Terhune said the
slowdown in growth of prison populations began three years ago. It is
unclear whether the decline since mid-1999 is temporary, he added.

"We do not yet know if this slowdown over the past three years
represents a long-term trend or a short-term picture," Terhune said.

The change comes at the end of nearly two decades of spiraling prison
growth. Between 1980 and 1989, the number of prisoners grew by 14.5% a
year. During the 1990s, the growth averaged 6.3% a year. From 1996 to
1997, alone, the number of prisoners behind bars jumped by nearly 12,000.

Analysts have attributed much of that growth to demographics and to
tougher sentencing such as the three-strikes law, which generally
doubles sentences for second-time felons and imposes terms of 25 years
to life on three-time felons. The booming prison population fueled a
wave of prison construction. Most of California's 33 prisons were
built last decade.

Corrections officials said it is too soon to back away from the
state's commitment to prison construction. Many of the facilities,
like one being designed for the Central Valley town of Delano, are
designed to house high-security prisoners, for whom the state adequate
space, corrections officials said.

No other prisons are on the drawing board after the Delano facility.
But the need for more space--particularly for maximum security
prisoners--will have to be continually reassessed, said Judy
McGillivray, deputy director of planning and construction for the
Department of Corrections.

Terhune said his department deserves some of the credit for the drop
in prison population. He noted that recidivism rates have decreased
markedly. Nearly 70 in 100 offenders on parole returned to prison more
than a decade ago, compared with 55 in 100 who return to lockups today.

A parolee program that provides substance abuse treatment, employment
preparation and computer literacy has helped reduce the rates, Terhune
said.

He said state budget additions will allow even more intense
supervision, particularly of parolees who are mentally ill, violent or
missed meetings with their parole agents.