PRISON INMATES

WASHINGTON - America's prison population grew by 2.9 percent last year, to
almost 2.1 million inmates, with one of every 75 men living in prison or
jail. The inmate population continued its rise despite a fall in the crime
rate and many states' efforts to reduce some sentences, especially for
low-level drug offenders. The report issued Thursday by the Justice
Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics attributes much of the increase
to get-tough policies enacted during the 1980s and 90s such as mandatory
drug sentences, "three-strikes-and-your out" laws for repeat offenders, and
"truth -in-sentencing laws."