ALBANY -- The Paterson administration wants to further empty New York's prisons by releasing more inmates six months early for good behavior, putting middle-aged convicts into shock camps and punishing technical parole violations with something short of prison.

Corrections chief Brian Fischer says the measures, recommended earlier this year by a special commission that included lawmakers, are based on past successes and would help the criminal justice system operate more rationally. They require the Legislature's approval.

The measures would remove an estimated 1,600 more inmates from prison in a year. The population — which stood at 59,918 on Thursday — is down about 11,500 since its 1999 peak. Fischer cites a reduced crime rate and focus on helping convicts re-enter society.