The author argues that lawmakers have expanded the scope of prison officials' administrative discretion by developing programs, based on the concept of time served, that delegate the authority to circumvent judicially imposed mandatory minimum sentences. Between 1987 and 1990, legislators managed prison growth by constructing new prisons and creating three early-release programs. Between 1990 and 1993, faced with budget deficits and rising prison populations, legislators expanded existing work release programs and instituted day reporting. As the sphere of administrative discretion was enlarged, the prison bureaucracy joined the parole bureaucracy in reducing time served in New York prisons. 21 notes and 46 references