To avoid Federal court intervention and prison overcrowding, the General Assembly should enact an emergency cap of 18,000 in State prisons, allowing the Secretary of Corrections and parole commission to release prisoners in 20 categories at any point in sentences for 2 years. The American Correctional Association should supervise national accreditation for a community-based parole system, using existing community resources in a county-by-county network. Misdemeanants sentenced for less than 2 years should be jailed at county levels at State expense with a one-time appropriation of 20 million dollars. The Office of Courts and University of North Carolina Institute of Government should educate and train judges and prosecutors on alternative systems and monitor refusal to use community penalties, which should be expanded to more juridical districts every year. Violent criminals without a pattern of violence should be punished in community settings. Sheriffs should have clear authority to maintain minimum custody detention facilities paid by State revenue bonds. 12 illustrations, footnoted table, 1 table, chart, and 24 footnotes.