HARTFORD, Conn. -- An emergency meeting addressed prison overcrowding Monday.

Lawmakers met to determine how Gov. Jodi Rell's new ban on parole for violent offenders will affect Connecticut's prison system.

The Judiciary Committee was called together to discuss to discuss the problem of the state's overcrowded prisons.

Lawmakers said that the state's prison population is bursting at the seams, and they must decide whether another Connecticut prison should be built.

The state's prisons commissioner said she doesn't need more staff or new prisons to handle any influx of inmates from the temporary ban of parole for violent offenders.

Theresa Lantz's testimony before the legislature's Judiciary Committee contrasts with the opinions voiced by some lawmakers who fear the state's prisons are already too crowded and can't handle more inmates.

Lantz said an additional 228 beds are being added. Also, she said the corrections officers are trained to handle fluctuating prison populations. Currently, there are about 300 portable beds set up on gym floors and in function rooms.

There are currently 19,000 inmates in Connecticut's prisons -- 2,000 more than what the system was designed for.

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