The legislature is preparing to take long-overdue action on a broad range of criminal justice issues in 2016 The Michigan House of Representatives advanced three Smart and Safe parole reforms, all by overwhelming bipartisan majorities. To become law, legislation must be passed by the end of the legislative session in December 2016. CAPPS will be providing ongoing information to supporters, [...]
Three steps forward and one giant step backward for criminal justice reform: The package of criminal justice reform bills that emerged from the Council of State Government process (HB 5928, 5929, 5930 and 5931) is pending action in the Senate. CAPPS endorses three bills in the package: HB 5928, 5929 and 5930. The bills would [...]
This is a must-read overview of the Michigan system, including sentencing guidelines and parole practices. Read this first to better understand the issues. Read>> Michigan's sentencing and parole system
By Laura Sager, associate director, Citizens Alliance on Prisons & Public Spending, guest column, Bridge Magazine Michigan taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of dollars more on prisons than public safety requires. How? By keeping people locked up far longer than we used to, than other states do and than is necessary to prevent recidivism. Every [...]
News | Lifers | Parole | April 10, 2012 By Paul D. Reingold, University of Michigan Law School, Bridge Magazine, guest editorial Paul D. Reingold is a clinical professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School and was lead counsel in the case of Foster-Bey v. Booker, challenging the post-1992 drop in lifer [...]
Read>> CAPPS Consensus Fall 2010 ● Fewer prisoners, more spending raises many questions. See page 5. ● Though parole releases increase substantially, various reforms still needed. See page 9. ● Lifer paroles, commutations get parole board’s attention. See page 13. ● American Correctional Association policy on criminal sentencing and early release. See page 7.
An analysis of 76,721 cases of Michigan prisoners sentenced to indeterminate terms after 1981 and released for the first time from 1986 through 1999. The results show that continuing to incarcerate people who have served their minimum sentences for an additional year or two doesn't significantly improve public safety. Examining re-offense rates by offense type [...]
Information on the number of foreign nationals in Michigan prisons, a discussion about the economic feasibility of keeping these offenders after they become parole eligible and some profiles. Read>> Foreign Nationals in Michigan Prisons: an examination of the costs
The Michigan parole board's treatment of these offenders, recommendations for change and profiles of some lifers. Read>> No way out: Michigan's parole board redefines the meaning of 'life'