Strapped states letting prisoners go free (The Wenatchee World)

WASHINGTON — Mississippi is a tough-on-crime state, and in 1995, like many tough-on-crime states, it approved a version of “truth in sentencing” — a popular law requiring inmates to serve at least 85 percent of their prison terms before they could be considered for parole. More than half the states have similar laws on the books. Mississippi, however, changed course two years ago. Responding to …