States may free inmates to save millions

``Officials acknowledge that the idea carries risks, but they say they have no choice because of huge budget gaps brought on by the slumping economy.... Kentucky spends more than $18,600 to house one inmate for a year, or roughly $51 a day. In California, each inmate costs an average of $46,104 to incarcerate. The prison budget in Mississippi has nearly tripled since stricter sentencing laws took effect in 1994.'' -- Expect the same logic of practicality to soon apply to Iraq.