State lawmakers are debating the best way to handle North Carolina's growing prison population as they develop the budget.

The News & Observer reported Friday officials say growth in prison population is mostly due to growth in the overall state population.

In one meeting, legislative fiscal analyst Doug Holbrook told lawmakers that projections show the state could need an additional 6,100 beds to keep up with a growing prison population by 2017.

Options presented to the lawmakers included building more prisons, adjusting the state's sentencing grid, or both. Holbrook says the state would need to spend between $85 million and $120 million soon to meet a 1,854-prison bed shortage by 2012