By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – The special state parole board created three years ago to stem prison and county jail overcrowding has done its job and will sunset on September 30th. Governor Bob Riley called for the special parole board to speed the release of eligible inmates and ease the financial strain of overcrowding. Prison Commissioner Richard Allen said the board kept inmate numbers from rising for three years. He added that prisons could soon be at 200 percent capacity again without a new initiative. One negative effect of paroling inmates more quickly was a drop in the number of inmates eligible for the work-release program, which contributes to prison budgets. In 2005, the profits generated by the work-release program were less than half what they were in 2004.