An Iowa State Bar Association analysis warns the state’s prisons are so over-crowded the courts will intervene soon and force the state to build a new prison. Bruce Graves of Des Moines is the association’s president.Graves says the federal courts order action when prison capacity tops 130 percent. The Bar Association analysis predicts the men’s prisons in Anamosa and Fort Madison and the women’s prison in Mitchellville will top 130 percent capacity within a year.Graves says the Bar Association recommends that legislators move to expand “community-based”, low-security options in Fort Dodge, Sioux City, Davenport, and Ottumwa. He says they recommend the expansion of drug courts and day treatment.The Iowa State Bar Association has about seven thousand lawyer members.
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