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Safe & Just Michigan’s written testimony on medically frail parole bill (HB 4129 – 30 & 4132)

On March 5, 2019 Executive Director John S. Cooper submitted written testimony to the House Judiciary Committee in support of House Bill (HB) 4129 - 30 & 4132.  Safe & Just Michigan has long supported creating a special parole for medically frail incarcerated people. HB  4129 ­‐ 30  &  4132  propose  an  important  first  step [...]

2019-03-06T09:33:48-05:00March 6th, 2019|Categories: 2019 - 2020, Legislation, Legislative Session, Topics|

Safe & Just Michigan releases September 2018 e-newsletter

Click on the link below to read our September 27, 2018 e-newsletter. Download: Safe and Just Michigan September 2018 e-newsletter Stay connected with Safe & Just Michigan for the latest information on local, state, and national community safety and justice solutions. Sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter HERE.

Safe & Just Michigan Fall 2018 edition – newsletter released

The newsletter reports on objective parole, 'Raise the Age' and 'Good Time' bills. It discusses the continued prison population decline and provides updates on SJM outreach efforts. Download>> SJM Fall 2018 Newsletter Please subscribe to our mailing list to receive the CAPPS e-newsletter on the latest legislative actions.

Objective parole bill passes out of full Senate

Objective parole is one step away from becoming law in Michigan after it sailed through the Senate committee hearing and a full vote of the Senate in single day on Sept. 5, 2018. Objective parole requires the parole board to adhere to set standards when determining whether an incarcerated person who scores as a low-risk [...]

2018-09-20T12:25:51-04:00September 6th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Parole, Topics|

Just the facts: The “Good Time” bills are unlikely to move forward

Michigan has a longer length of stay for people in prison than any other state. The Pew Center on the States study found that in 2009, Michigan prisoners served nearly 17 months more than average. According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, in 2016 the average minimum sentence was 9.9 years (a figure which does [...]

Raise the age cost study does not offer the full picture

Only Michigan and four other states treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system. Currently, a 17-year-old, who is legally too young to vote, marry, or join the military, can be convicted in adult court. There is little disagreement among stakeholders that raise the age is good for Michigan. However, uncertainty about the potential [...]

2018-03-30T15:51:05-04:00March 9th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Juveniles, Sentencing, Topics|

House calls to end longstanding backlog of mental health evaluations

Michigan has a longstanding backlog of cases at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry, a state-operated facility that provides diagnostic services to the criminal justice system. The average wait time for a competency examination in Michigan is six months. This results in unnecessarily long pretrial detention of people with mental illness at the expense of taxpayers. [...]

2018-03-30T15:51:53-04:00March 9th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Mental health, Topics|

Medically frail bills move on to House floor

Michigan’s prison population is aging. It is the oldest in the country with an average age of 39. Nearly a quarter of all prisoners are over 50 years old and many have complex health problems that are getting steadily worse – and more expensive to treat. The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) reported last year [...]

2018-04-03T13:55:30-04:00March 7th, 2018|Categories: Blog, Elderly, Parole, Topics|

HB 5377 would make parole process more objective

On February 6, John Cooper, CAPPS policy director, leaders of two Michigan business associations, a crime survivor organization, a faith coalition, and a conservative interest group testified before the House of Representatives Law and Justice Committee in support of HB 5377. Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) is neutral on the bill but provided supporting information to [...]

2018-03-30T12:40:18-04:00February 15th, 2018|Categories: 2017 - 2018, Legislation, Legislative Session, Parole, Publication Type, Testimony, Topic, Topics|