California State Prisons Chief Departing After Overseeing Shrinking System

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California’s corrections chief is stepping down after three years overseeing a prison system that has dramatically shrunk.
Jeffrey Beard has been secretary of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation since December 2012.
Beard said in a letter Thursday that he will leave the post on Jan. 1.
He took over a system that was once the nation’s largest but faced a federal court order to reduce overcrowding. The population began dropping in 2011 under