Mar 05, 2008 — Prison populations are booming across the United States, with one notable exception: Here in New York State the number of inmates has dropped each year since 1999, thanks in large part to a huge drop in the number of low-level offenders behind bars. Those empty jail beds have even led Governor Spitzer to push for the closure of four prisons -- including Camp Gabriels near Saranac Lake. NPR's Robert Smith and our own Brian Mann produced a two-part special report on the trend. First, Robert Smith looks at where all those prisoners went.