Sacramento, CA — When state Corrections Secretary Roderick Hickman abruptly ended three parole programs in April in the face of heavy opposition, he said it was because there was no evidence the programs were working.

The state auditor now says Hickman´s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation had information it could have used to decide if the benefits of the early release programs outweighed the risks. But auditors say the department never set standards to judge the programs.

Auditors found about 5 percent of the parolees were sent back to prison for new crimes. The department now is contracting with a state university to examine the programs.