Southern California law enforcement officials are expressing concerns about Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to release prison inmates early. KPCC's Frank Stoltze says the governor's plan is designed to save the state $400 million.

Frank Stoltze: The state houses 170,000 prison inmates. The governor wants to reduce that number by 19,000. He'd do that in part by releasing lower-risk offenders early. Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton doesn't entirely oppose the idea.

Bill Bratton: I'm a strong advocate of alternative sentencing, that if we could have meaningful drug treatment, if we could have meaningful job referrals, that's great. We don't.

Stoltze: Bratton says the problem is that without these programs petty thieves and drug offenders usually revert to a life of crime.

Bratton: I'm concerned with them coming back out because without retraining, without supervision, without meaningful drug treatment, they're going to go right back into low-level offending which, I would argue, basically drives you crazy. If somebody breaks into your car, that that's low-level offending, but it is also something that causes hundreds of thousands of criminal incidents each year in this county.

Stoltze: Schwarzenegger, who faces a huge budget deficit and pressure from a federal judge who says the prisons are too crowded, has said early release will have to be part of any state budget deal with Sacramento lawmakers.