Michigan’s Prison
Growth:
A Quarter-Century of Comments
“Keeping people in prison long periods of time after they may be
ready for release is not only inhumane and very costly to the
public, it is counterproductive in that they may become less fit for
return to the community or may have too little time left in the
sentence for community supervision and testing.”
Michigan Department of Corrections,
1974 Annual Report, page 100
Prison Population = 8,630
“Prison budget devours state’s limited funds”
“Every dollar Michigan commits to building and operating new prisons
is a dollar diverted from some other area. Most of the dollars to
pay for the current prison expansion project are coming from
education and social services programs.”
Detroit News, June 27, 1989
Prison Population = 29,375
“Beyond the concept of “truth in sentencing” lies a more important
issue. Since only about 5.5 percent of all parolees commit violent
crime while on parole and are returned to prison, locking everyone
up for longer periods is not a cost-effective way of dealing with
repeat crime.”
***
“We do not need to figure out more ways to keep more people in
prison longer, we need to find ways to more appropriately deal with
the offenders we have. We need to be more selective about those we
put into prison.”
Letter from DOC Director Kenneth L. McGinnis
Grand Rapids Press, September 28, 1992
Prison Population = 38,628
“Crime down; prisons full: State taxpayers pay $1.4 billion to keep
inmates behind bars longer, and end’s not in sight.”
Detroit News, March 23, 1999
Prison Population = 46,145
“If our parole approval rates were at the same level now they were
in the 1980’s, I think we would be at near zero growth . . .We have
more people in prison because many fewer are leaving.”
MDOC Spokesperson Matt Davis
Detroit Free Press, August 1, 2001
Prison Population = 48,419 |
|
Addressing the social and economic
costs of
Michigan's prison system |
|
