DROP IN PRISON POPULATION CALIFORNIA'S FIRST SINCE '77

360 Fewer Inmates: Officials Credit Improved Programs That Keep
Parolees From Returning To Jail.

Sacramento -- After more than two decades of often-rapid growth,
California's prison population has posted its first year-on-year decline
since 1977, officials said Monday.

California Department of Corrections Director C.A. Terhune said much of the
credit goes to improved programs aimed at preventing paroled prisoners from
heading back to jail.

``More than a decade ago, nearly 70 out of every 100 offenders on parole
returned to prison. Today, approximately 55 out of every 100 offenders on
parole return to prison,'' Terhune said in a statement.

Official statistics show that on June 25 the state's prison population was
161,401 -- 360 fewer inmates than the same time last year, and the first
absolute decline in prison population since 1977.

The drop marks a sharp turnaround after years of population growth in
California jails, thanks in part to a series of tough-on-crime laws.

Between 1980 and 1989, California's inmate population grew by 14.5 percent
a year, while in the 1990s growth averaged 6.3 percent a year. As recently
as July 1997, the state's prison population growth was 11,878 inmates a year.

Terhune said it was too early to say if the slowdown was the start of a
long-term trend. But he said official efforts to reduce the recidivism rate
through providing substance abuse treatment, employment preparation and
placement, and computer literacy training for parolees clearly played a
major role in the turnaround.

While the state's prison population of 161,401 is a slight drop from the
previous year, it still represents a big jump in the percentage of
Californians behind bars when compared with previous decades.

This year's number means that 472.5 of every 100,000 Californians are in jail.

In 1990, the state's total prison population was 97,309, meaning 321.2 of
every 100,000 state residents were in jail. In 1980, by contrast, the total
prison population was just 24,569, or about 102 of every 100,000
Californians, according to department figures.