In January 2020, the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration issued a list of 18 legislative action items that — if enacted — could revolutionize Michigan’s county jails and the lives of the people who come into contact with them.
The first wave of legislation to implement those recommendations was released in June 2020. This first wave of legislation includes:
- House Bills 5844 & 5855-5857 would remove mandatory jail sentences for certain misdemeanors have cleared the House and are before the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
- HBs 5846-5857 and 5859-5854 would end the practice of suspending driver’s licenses for things unrelated to unsafe driving. These bills have cleared the House and are before the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee. (HB 5858 has been combined with another bill).
- Senate Bills 1046-1051 would encourage alternatives to arrest, incarceration in jail or probation. These bills have been approved by the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee and are headed to the floor of the Senate.