A closer look at low-level offenders in Indiana prisons reveal few of them are first-time criminals. A yet-to-be released study of state prison inmates convicted of class D felonies - the lowest felony level in Indiana - shows they had an average of five prior criminal convictions.

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[20 years ago, Texas did this same thing. Tony Fabelo, heading up the now defunct Criminal Justice Policy Council, did a study of who prosecutors were sending to prison. The study played a big part in keeping the debate honest, dispelling the notion that prosecutors were sending nonviolent first offenders to prison in excessive numbers.]