Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's latest budget proposal would reduce by tens of thousands the number of criminals behind bars and under community supervision.

Parole would be eliminated for all nonserious, nonviolent and non-sex offenders. The proposal would cut the parole population by about 65,000 by June 30, 2010, or more than half of the Christmas Eve count of 123,144.

At the same time, the corrections plan calls for increasing good-time credits for inmates who obey the rules and complete rehabilitation programs. Combined with the new parole policies that would result in fewer violators forced back into custody, the proposal would reduce the prison population by 15,000 by June 30, 2010. It stood at 171,542 on Dec. 24.

Department of Finance Director Mike Genest said the state's worsening budget scenario again forced the administration to look at prison and parole population cuts as front-burner proposals to save money.

"I don't think there are very many proposals in this whole budget that are easy for us, or for anybody," Genest said in an interview. "They're all difficult. That one's difficult, but we think we've structured it in such a way as to protect public safety."

Genest said that California's parole population far outstrips any other state, and that the administration's plan would bring its policies for released offenders mostly in line with the rest of the country.

"We're just paring back the whole parole program here," Genest said. "Other states do this with no noticeable impacts on public safety, and I think it's time California takes a hard look at doing that."

Details on the latest edition of Schwarzenegger's early-release plan emerged when officials unveiled their budget proposals Wednesday for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

The governor's plan calls for an $842 million budget cut for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, an 8.7 percent slash that would take the agency's overall spending down to about $9.6 billion.

The California Correctional Peace Officers Association, still at odds with Schwarzenegger over a new contract, blasted the plan.

"What it means is residual costs to all citizens of California and higher insurance rates and more crime," said CCPOA spokesman Lance Corcoran, whose union represents about 30,000 correctional officers and parole agents. "These are individuals who do not take advantage of opportunities for change, and they are not going to change," he said of the offenders who stand to benefit from the proposals.

Corcoran said that the current definitions of "serious" and "violent" felonies exclude crimes such as spousal abuse, stalking and possession of destructive devices, and that offenders convicted under those laws would not be subject to parole supervision.

In the prisons, thousands more offenders would become eligible to have their sentences cut in half, with the time credits kicking in while they are in county jails waiting for their transfers to state custody. Prisoners also would be in line for additional time credits if they complete drug, vocational and educational programs.

Democratic majorities in the state Senate and the Assembly approved legislation in the recent special session on the budget that closely mirrors the administration's most recent population proposals. The bill, Assembly Bill X1 8, is on Schwarzenegger's desk. But it includes language that it cannot become law unless the rest of the Democrats' budget plan – still under negotiation with the governor – also is enacted.

One critic of California's correctional policies welcomed the administration's budget proposals but said the move to cut the population doesn't jibe with pending measures to increase inmate capacity.

"They need to immediately reduce the number of people in prison and there are many ways to do that, including changing parole and sentencing policies," said Rose Braz of Californians United for a Responsible Budget. "But they can't do that and keep building more prisons."

Besides the prison and parole plans, the governor's budget also proposes a $180 million cut in funding for federal medical care receiver J. Clark Kelso's programs, at a time when he is seeking $8 billion for long-term-care facilities.

Call Andy Furillo, (916) 321-1141.