LANSING, MI (WTVB) – There’s no list of locations that should be closed, but a new study released Thursday says the Michigan Department of Corrections could shut down seven prisons and hold 10-thousand fewer inmates with an annual savings of $250-million. The report will get the attention of officials in Branch County where the economy benefits from Lakeland Correctional Facility in Coldwater.
More people in prison doesn’t mean there’s more crime in Michigan but it does mean the state needs to rethink its policies, according to the new report which looks at ways to reduce the state’s $2 billion annual prison spending. Barbara Levine is associate director for research and policy for the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending which did the research and she said crime rates have been falling steadily for several years, and yet the state’s incarceration rate keeps rising, with 44,000 Michiganders now in state prisons.
According to Levine, decades of longer sentences, lower parole rates and the elimination of any form of sentence reduction credits for good conduct or program participation has put Michigan out of sync with the rest of the country. While some critics believe adjusting sentencing guidelines would compromise public safety,
Levine said there’s evidence that longer sentences do not have an impact on a convict’s likelihood to reoffend. Levine said the money saved would allow the state to address some of the issues that prevent crime and improve the quality of life for all Michiganders. Suggested solutions include more re-entry support for parolees, more access to treatment for mental illness and substance abuse, more access to jobs, education, transportation, and decent housing in high incarceration communities.
The full report is online at SmartJusticeforMI.org.
