PBS News Weekend 
Season 10, Episode 41 of 99
The state has reduced the number of prisoners and is putting a focus on rehabilitation and a new approach to parole. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that overcrowding in California's prisons constituted cruel and unusual punishment, the state has been reducing its prison population. New state laws have also made it easier for prisoners to access rehabilitative programs that could lead to parole. There are now 50,000 fewer inmates in California than there were a decade ago, many of whom continue to stay out of prison. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Joanne Elgart Jennings followed one man's path from rehabilitation, to parole, to helping other formerly incarcerated people turn their lives around. This story is part of an ongoing series called "Chasing the Dream," which reports on poverty and opportunity in America.
