In 2004, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lamented that the state prison population was too large and still growing. "If we imprisoned people at 1994 rates," he said then, "we'd have 145,000 prisoners. That is a doable goal."
Schwarzenegger promised that California could reduce crime and downsize its prison system. Unfortunately, the prison population today remains the same as when Schwarzenegger made those remarks: 167,000.
The current budget situation, however, should force long-overdue changes.
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