The Nation - News from Dec. 26, 1986

Overcrowding at Utah State Prison has forced authorities to grant early paroles to nearly 50 inmates in the last four months, and another 35 will be freed by the first week of January, state corrections officials said. The Utah Department of Corrections defends the policy of letting convicts out before their original release dates as a necessary emergency measure. State officials stress that violent inmates are not eligible for early release. A $32-million expansion project is scheduled to add 536 new beds next summer.