INDIANAPOLIS — A committee of Indiana senators gave its blessing Monday to a plan that would keep violent felons in prison longer and downgrade punishments for many thefts and drug crimes.
The proposal comes at the urging of Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels, who has asked the General Assembly to reform Indiana's sentencing guidelines to slow the growth of the state's prison population. The number of inmates in Indiana jumped 40 percent during the past decade to about 29,000.
Senate Bill 561 aims to battle repeat offenses by directing low-level felons to probation, community corrections and drug treatment programs instead of prison.
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