A bill that would reshape Pennsylvania's corrections system to give a second chance to more nonviolent offenders and reserve state prisons for the most dangerous criminals is on its way to Governor Tom Corbett to be signed into law.
 
The state Senate joined the House in giving the bill unanimous approval Monday night. Senator Stewart Greenleaf, an outspoken advocate of prison reform, said the explosive growth in the prison population in recent underscored the need for change. He said the prison population grew by more than 500-percent since 1980, while the state's population expanded by only 6-percent.
 
The "justice reinvestment" initiative will divert more non-violent offenders and parole violators into non-prison settings. Greenleaf says it will reduce crime and save taxpayers $253-million over five years.