Gov. Nathan Deal says he's moving ahead to reduce Georgia's prison population by diverting non-violent drug offenders to other programs.

Deal touted the idea - already being implemented in some parts of Georgia, including Chatham County - in his Jan. 10 inaugural speech.

"One out of every 13 Georgia residents is under some form of correctional control," he said. "It costs about $3 million per day to operate our Department of Corrections."

A 2009 national report said drug-related crimes were listed as the primary offense for about 17 percent of Georgia's prisoners.

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