Texas Praised for Prison Reform

Long known for its tough-on-crime image, Texas on Thursday was hailed nationally for a package of reforms designed to curb its wildly growing prison population. But even as lawmakers were lauded for innovative programs for drug and alcohol abusers, Texas pushed past California to become the nation's leader in putting people behind bars.

Texas, said the new Pew Center on the States report, had 171,790 prisoners on Jan. 1 — down 326 inmates from Dec. 31, 2006. California, which long had led the nation in inmates, reduced its prison rolls by 4,068 during that period.

Nationwide, the study found one in every 100 adults is locked up in state and federal prisons or local jails. Of the states with the largest prison systems — those with 50,000 or more inmates — Texas, California, New York and Michigan reduced their offender populations in the past year.