Hunstein: Time to reform Ga. sentences

ATLANTA - Chief Justice Carol Hunstein says it's time for Georgia to reform its tough criminal sentences.

In her annual State of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the state Legislature on Wednesday, Hunstein said many inmates clogging Georgia's prisons ``are a greater threat to themselves than to society.''

Hunstein said rather than locking up drug addicts and the mentally ill, ``we must reserve our prison beds for our most serious criminals.'' Alternative sentences should be offered to improve public safety and save taxpayer dollars.

Georgia spends more than $1 billion a year on its prison budget.