An interesting thing was happening in prisons in Colorado back in 1992 according to an issue of LIFE magazine of that year. Prison officials were perplexed by the growing number of inmates who were choosing to serve out their whole prison sentences rather than bargain for less time at parole hearings. Since Colorado~s prisons are overcrowded, and since parole hearings sometimes result in less time in jail, prison officials were dumbfounded by this new trend. Was it due to guilty consciences? A peak season for penance? Probably not. According to state prison director Frank Gunter, the depressed economy on the outside made life on the inside look more comfortable. Many of the prisoners foresaw living on the streets when they got out, so prison didn~t look so bad to them during a recession. (…