Georgia's prisons reach record population

ATLANTA - Georgia&#39;s prison population has reached more than 50,000 for the first time, prompting some state officials to consider shorter sentences for nonviolent crimes. <br> <br> In May, Georgia&#39;s prison population reached 50,922, according to Department of Justice figures. State officials project the number will reach 56,000 to 58,000 roughly the size of Marietta within the next five years. <br> <br> Officials say the record prison population is the result of new mandatory sentencing laws and longer terms behind bars for all types of offenses. <br> <br> Georgia has the sixth-highest incarceration rate among the 50 states and ranks first among states in the percentage of people in prison, on probation or on parole. <br> <br> Between 1998 and 2002, the budget for the state Department of Corrections jumped 31 percent, from $738 million to $968 million. <br> <br> ``I think we&#39;ve got about as many people locked up as we can afford,&#39;&#39; said state Rep. Tom Bordeaux, D-Savannah, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. ``We need to act smarter, not harsher, toward criminal behavior.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> In December, the 19-member Governor&#39;s Commission on Certainty recommended reducing prison time for nonviolent drug and property crimes. <br> <br> The commission&#39;s proposal slows down the projected population growth by roughly 50 percent, said Adam Gelb, former executive director of the commission. That would cut the number of prison beds needed through 2007 by 4,120, saving approximately $287 million. <br> <br> ``I think it takes the very thoughtful step of recognizing you&#39;re not going to solve the drug offender criminal by simply locking them up,&#39;&#39; Bordeaux said. <br> <br> In January, Gov. Sonny Perdue dissolved the commission, which former Gov. Roy Barnes had created by executive order. Perdue&#39;s new group has yet to set a timetable for implementing the commission&#39;s proposals. <br> <br> ``There is an informal task force of judges, district attorneys, people from pardons and paroles, and the budget office a working group,&#39;&#39; said governor&#39;s spokesman Shane Hix. ``We&#39;re still reviewing the guidelines of the commission.&#39;&#39;

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