A pause for KY's rising prison population

Well it's March Madness time in Kentuckiana, so you know what that means. The weight of news coverage shifts to college basketball and our great democratic debates consist of bracket bets.

Meanwhile...

After covering the racial disparities in KY prisons last month, the C-J gave some noted coverage to the overall rise in KY's prison population.

"Kentucky's prison population is rising at the fastest rate in the nation, according to a report last month by the Pew Center on the States, a nonpartisan Washington research and policy group. Kentucky currently has about 22,600 felony offenders in jail or prison, and this year's state corrections budget is about $431 million -- compared with about 3,700 inmates in 1980 and a budget of $30 million."

The ignoble designation of leading the nation in prison population growth compounded with the costs of maintaining our prison industrial complex has at least given lawmakers a reason to hold a meeting. According to the C-J Justice Secretary J. Michael Brown called the state Criminal Justice Council to meet today in Frankfort.

For the rest go here.