Compliments to Jeff German et al. for writing this piece. Several other states are finding cost saving alternatives to prison. One notable academic source is Downsizing Prisons by Michael Jacobson, a former Director of NY City's Jails and Probation Departments.

Ideas for downsizing prisons are available in the right column of my blog at vegasquixote.blogspot.com

I agree with you Rodney07 that CO work is a tough and dehumanizing beat that bleeds into everyone. I disagree, though, that the "tough on crime" idea is the best approach both in sentencing and in incarceration. Prisons today often make people harder, serving as finishing schools for criminal behavior. We need to be selective about who we incarcerate, and figure out how to invest in better neighborhoods, decent jobs and job training, schools, mental health services, and drug treatment. Alongside the killers and child molesters who deserve prison, there were inmates in NDOC there for such heinous crimes as starting a fire in a vacant lot to stay warm, stealing small batteries, possession of crack, and killing puppies. As Supreme Court Justice (and Reagan appointee) Anthony Kennedy stated "tough on crime should not be a substitute for thoughtful reflection or lead us into moral blindness."