In an act to cut costs, the Kentucky legislature began releasing inmates early.

Now... Attorney General Jack Conway wants to block the continued release of prisoners.

Since the change was announced, Cohron, along with other prosecutors across the state, judges and victims across the state have been pleading for the new laws reversal.

"When we can not with any kind of confidence tell community how much time a defendant is going to serve, undermines the entire system" Warren County Circuit Court Judge Steve Wilson told WBKO in July of this year.

"There are studies that show at least 60 to 80% of the individuals are going to be offend"," said Chris Cohron to WBKO in an interview also conducted in July of 2008.

Now, months later, Attorney General Conway is stepping in by suing to end the early release of inmates.

"We're thrilled that General Conway went ahead and filed his lawsuit," says Cohron during an interview Wednesday.

In Conway's suit, he notes many sex offenders, rapists and murderers have been released because of the illegal application of House Bill 406.

"The provisions put in "House Bill 406" allowed for what's deemed to be "street credit" for parolees to be given retroactively," says Cohron.

Which Cohron says has created repeat offenders over the last few months.

"We're already seeing that and included in General Conway's lawsuit is examples of individuals but for them not being released, would not have been able to commit the crimes they have committed since being
out," Cohron notes.

According to Cohron, if the decision is reversed... it'll be the first step at giving "safety" back to citizens and victims of crimes.

"This will give meaning to the sentences received by defendants. This will also allow for victims to be able to know what the sentence of the person that offended against them actually means," he says.

If Conway wins his suit, Cohron says the court system would have to fashion a remedy that could include picking up inmates that have already been released.

Right now... Only Pulaski County has an injunction to keep inmates from being released early.

But Cohron says Conway's lawsuit being filed now means that individual jurisdictions won't have to file similar suits independently.