Tennessee Prison Population Cut to Court-Ordered Level

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The number of convicts in Tennessee prisons, closed to new inmates by a federal judge’s decree, has dropped to the court-ordered level two weeks ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline, the state’s top penal official said.

There were 7,016 prisoners in 14 state penitentiaries on Wednesday, three fewer than the 7,019 mark set in June by U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Higgins, Correction Commissioner Steve Norris said.

Higgins’ Oct. 23 order closing the prisons to new inmates apparently inspired judges to use probation more freely and find alternative sentences for minor offenses, Norris said.