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Early Prison Release for Budget Savings?

With the State of Michigan facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall this next fiscal year, the government is looking for ways to balance the budget without cutting too many services. One of the options in Committee right now is the package of House Bills 4497, 4498, and 4499. These bills would allow current and future prisoners to be released early for good time as long as certain criteria has been met. The bills, although expected to save the state money, have met with opposition from many such as victim's rights groups and legislators not wanting to appear soft on crime.

Mental Health Courts Overview

Currently, in Michigan, several counties have access to mental health courts. Among them are courts in Wayne, Jackson, Oakland, Livingston, St. Clair, Grand Traverse, Otsego, Genessee, Berrien, Kalamazoo, and Ionia/Montcalm Counties. A majority of these mental health courts receive some sort of funding through the Michigan Mental Health Court Grant Program (MMHCGP).

County Jail Reimbursement Program Veto

The County Jail Reimbursement Program is a program that was established in 1989 and was designed to save money on prisons. It allowed county jails to house felons that would be housed in prisons in order to save the state of Michigan money.

Will the costs exceed the benefits of increasing last call until 4 AM?

In an effort to generate revenue for the state of Michigan, Governor Granholm has suggested different options dealing with the sale of alcohol. She has proposed the allowance of bars to stay open until 4 AM rather than 2 AM, by means of the owners purchasing a permit that would allow this.

Juvenile Crime Bills

House bills 4518 and 4594-4596 as introduced in February of 2009 would amend various acts to prohibit sentencing a juvenile convicted of a crime to life without the possibility of parole and also revise parole eligibility for juveniles sentenced as adults.
Criminal Justice
Prison Release Proposal PDF Print E-mail
Written by .   
Monday, 21 June 2010 18:27

A major issue in the Criminal Justice policy area is the releasing of prisoners. This may mean setting convicted murders free on the street to commit more crime and violence. This is exactly the thoughts of many citizens, especially survivors of attacks or family members of victims that are rightfully angered by this issue. Our Prison systems are continuously taking cuts to their budget while crime rates are not slowing down. Michigan presently has the second highest incarceration rate in the Midwest Region costing 90 dollars a day for each prisoner (Mauer 28, 40). This means that the capacities of the prisons are decreasing while more convicted felons are being sentenced to prison with no room to spare. This poses for a great concern of public safety.

 
Early Release for Budget Savings? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dawn Pickett   
Monday, 21 June 2010 18:22

With the State of Michigan facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall this next fiscal year, the government is looking for ways to balance the budget without cutting too many services. One of the options in Committee right now is the package of House Bills 4497, 4498, and 4499. These bills would allow current and future prisoners to be released early for good time as long as certain criteria has been met. The bills, although expected to save the state money, have met with opposition from many such as victim's rights groups and legislators not wanting to appear soft on crime.

 
Legal Duels in Michigan? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dawn Pickett   
Friday, 18 June 2010 14:58

Currently in Michigan there is a ban on the crime of dueling. Representatives Wheeler-Smith, Sheltrown, and LeBlanc have proposed House Bills 6135, 6136, and 6137 respectively. These bills would repeal the prohibition of engaging in or challenging another person to a duel. The Michigan Corrections Code and sentencing guidelines would also need to be amended accordingly if these bills are passed into law.

 
Marijuana Driving Cases PDF Print E-mail
Written by Dawn Pickett   
Friday, 18 June 2010 14:52

Approximately 6,000 people in Michigan are legally using medical marijuana and another 59 applications are submitted to the health department every day. In addition, at any one given time there are countless people using marijuana, and other illicit drugs, illegally. Although marijuana can be detected in a person for up to five weeks after consumption, the effects are usually gone within a few hours. It is this disparity and the extent of the marijuana effects upon driving that are giving the Michigan Courts a new legal challenge.

 
Becoming Arizona? Michigan's Fight for Tougher Immigration Laws PDF Print E-mail
Written by Lupe Dominguez   
Friday, 18 June 2010 14:46

Arizona, a state not most often talked about in the news, has been put on the spot lately. The reason? A new law, SB 1070, which gives Arizona officers the authority to stop and detain people if they have reason to suspect that someone is here illegally. It gives them, also, the authority to ask for legal documents to show that those people are here in the United State legally and, if unable to produce such documents, gives the officers the authority to arrest them. However, it should be noted that the Arizona state law does say, many times, that at no time is it ok for an officer to stop someone based solely on the color of their skin-there must be a primary offense for which that person is stopped. At that time, there still needs to be a reasonable cause for the officer to ask for such documents. Even with all these precautions in place, there is still much uproar about this new legislation. Many believe that it will lead to racial profiling, especially among Latino people, who are already under much scrutiny, especially in the southwest United States. However, major proponents for the new law say that it is merely a tool needed for the state to do what the federal government has failed to do, and that is keep their borders closed to illegal immigration. This new law has sparked not only many debates, but has even caused other states to look at their own immigration laws. One of those states is Michigan, where Representative Kim Meltzer (R-Clinton Township) has proposed a law similar to Arizona's.

 
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The Michigan Policy Network is a student-led public education and research program to report and organize news and information about the political process surrounding Michigan state policy issues. It is run out of the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University, with participation by students from the College of Social Science, the College of Communication, and James Madison College. 

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jessica

Jessica DeLoach is Criminal Justice policy fellow. She is a senior at Michigan State University and grew up in Southwest Michigan. She is a Political Science-Prelaw and Spanish major and plans to attend law school after she receives her Bachelor's degree. Jessica just completed an internship with the Michigan House of Representatives with Representative John Proos and is looking forward to continuing her study and interpretation of state politics.

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