Approximately 5,000 people who have been convicted of nonviolent crimes in the state have been given community-service sentences instead of prison sentences. These offenders perform services commensurate with their training and skills, from scrubbing floors to conducting research for the state. The community-service program, which began in 1979, has grown immensely as a result of drunken-driver legislation enacted a few months ago.
The introduction of the community-service program in 1979 was most probably prompted by which of the following, all of which occurred during the 1970’s
A．A decrease in the number of violent crimes in the state.
B．An increase in the number of crimes committed by employees of the state.
C．A gradual decrease in the median age of judges in the state.
D．The overcrowding of prisons in the state.
E．(E) The passage of drunken-driver legislation in other states.
