California has met a goal to reduce prison overcrowding a year ahead of the deadline. Federal judges gave the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation until February 2016 to reduce the population in prisons to 137.5 percent of capacity. The department announced yesterday that they have reached the goal. The population is now around 113,000 inmates, down from 163,000 in 2006. The department was assisted by the passing of Proposition 47, which reduces penalties for certain crimes.