Granholm may free elderly inmates

Sunday, February 04, 2007

By Peter Luke

Lansing Bureau

LANSING -- A Michigan prison system housing a record 50,000-plus prisoners at a cost approaching $2 billion will have to be reined in through reductions in the prison population, Gov. Jennifer Granholm will announce Tuesday in her fifth State of the State address.

Granholm is expected to tell lawmakers she intends to begin commuting sentences of inmates who pose no safety threat to the public; among them will be aged and medically fragile criminals. Granholm also intends to look seriously at releasing, with Michigan Parole Board approval, non-violent drug offenders serving a long string of short minimum sentences.

But Granholm will need legislative approval to significantly reduce a prison population 20-percent larger than either the national and Midwest averages.

If those averages were applied to Michigan, says the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the prison population would be around 40,000 and the prison budget some $500 million less.

Compared with other states, "we are out of whack," Patricia Caruso, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, said Friday.

"The goal of the department is to protect the public," she said, adding, however, that it makes sense "to release those who can be safely released."

She said Granholm's "expectation" is that the department will begin reducing its spending relative to the rest of the state's general fund for discretionary spending. At $1.86 billion, prison spending is about 20 percent of that general fund budget. Ten years ago, it was 15 percent.

Change in policy

A commutation policy designed to reduce prison population would be a big departure for a governor -- and former attorney general -- who has been stingy about releasing inmates.

In a little more than four years as governor, Granholm has commuted the sentences of just nine inmates, all for medical reasons. The most public case for commutation before her administration currently involves Dr. Jack Kevorkian, imprisoned for assisting in a suicide and suffering from a range of maladies, according to his attorney.

"The governor has the power to commute sentences," said Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, who oversees prison spending. "I'd be very interested to know which old folks we're talking about letting out of prison, if we're talking about people who committed first-degree murder."

Cropsey said the state can't rapidly reduce its prison population by 10,000 without compromising public safety, but he supports Granholm's efforts to expand programs designed to improve the success of prisoner re-entry into society.

Among the medically fragile inmates who could be considered for release, are some of the 12,500 inmates who have some history of mental illness, Caruso said. Cropsey said it's critical that paroles who received medication behind bars continue to take it upon release.

Caruso said the effort to cut population would be long term and require greater investment in local support services. Granholm will release her proposed 2008 state budget on Thursday. Caruso provided no detail of what the projected costs or savings from the policy changes Granholm is proposing.

No turning back the clock

Barbara Levine, director of the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, said there are some 16,000 inmates who could be released if the state returned to incarceration policies in place as recently as a decade ago.

Levine said inmates on good behavior who have served 85 percent of their minimum sentences should be considered for parole. Parole violators returned to prison for non-criminal, administrative offenses, should have their time back in prison capped at six months to a year.

Only 53 percent of parole-eligible inmates considered to be low risk to the public were released from prison in the first nine months of 2006, said Levine, citing department data. That compares with an 81-percent parole rate in 1996. Returning to that rate of release would free up 4,600 prison beds and save $114 million, she said.

"If they're really going to take the size of the population down, they have to tackle these broader policy questions," Levine said.

Granholm is asking lawmakers to consider releasing felons, which could be tricky given the 2006, election-year killing spree by an inmate named Patrick Selepak, who was mistakenly released by the department.



Granholm may free elderly inmates Sunday, February 04, 2007 By Peter Luke Lansing Bureau LANSING -- A Michigan prison system housing a record 50,000-plus prisoners at a cost approaching $2 billion will have to be reined in through reductions in the prison population, Gov. Jennifer Granholm will announce Tuesday in her fifth State of the State address. Granholm is expected to tell lawmakers she intends to begin commuting sentences of inmates who pose no safety threat to the public; among them will be aged and medically fragile criminals. Granholm also intends to look seriously at releasing, with Michigan Parole Board approval, non-violent drug offenders serving a long string of short minimum sentences. But Granholm will need legislative approval to significantly reduce a prison population 20-percent larger than either the national and Midwest averages. If those averages were applied to Michigan, says the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, the prison population would be around 40,000 and the prison budget some $500 million less. Compared with other states, "we are out of whack," Patricia Caruso, director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, said Friday. "The goal of the department is to protect the public," she said, adding, however, that it makes sense "to release those who can be safely released." She said Granholm's "expectation" is that the department will begin reducing its spending relative to the rest of the state's general fund for discretionary spending. At $1.86 billion, prison spending is about 20 percent of that general fund budget. Ten years ago, it was 15 percent. Change in policy A commutation policy designed to reduce prison population would be a big departure for a governor -- and former attorney general -- who has been stingy about releasing inmates. In a little more than four years as governor, Granholm has commuted the sentences of just nine inmates, all for medical reasons. The most public case for commutation before her administration currently involves Dr. Jack Kevorkian, imprisoned for assisting in a suicide and suffering from a range of maladies, according to his attorney. "The governor has the power to commute sentences," said Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, who oversees prison spending. "I'd be very interested to know which old folks we're talking about letting out of prison, if we're talking about people who committed first-degree murder." Cropsey said the state can't rapidly reduce its prison population by 10,000 without compromising public safety, but he supports Granholm's efforts to expand programs designed to improve the success of prisoner re-entry into society. Among the medically fragile inmates who could be considered for release, are some of the 12,500 inmates who have some history of mental illness, Caruso said. Cropsey said it's critical that paroles who received medication behind bars continue to take it upon release. Caruso said the effort to cut population would be long term and require greater investment in local support services. Granholm will release her proposed 2008 state budget on Thursday. Caruso provided no detail of what the projected costs or savings from the policy changes Granholm is proposing. No turning back the clock Barbara Levine, director of the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, said there are some 16,000 inmates who could be released if the state returned to incarceration policies in place as recently as a decade ago. Levine said inmates on good behavior who have served 85 percent of their minimum sentences should be considered for parole. Parole violators returned to prison for non-criminal, administrative offenses, should have their time back in prison capped at six months to a year. Only 53 percent of parole-eligible inmates considered to be low risk to the public were released from prison in the first nine months of 2006, said Levine, citing department data. That compares with an 81-percent parole rate in 1996. Returning to that rate of release would free up 4,600 prison beds and save $114 million, she said. "If they're really going to take the size of the population down, they have to tackle these broader policy questions," Levine said. Granholm is asking lawmakers to consider releasing felons, which could be tricky given the 2006, election-year killing spree by an inmate named Patrick Selepak, who was mistakenly released by the department. Š2007 Grand Rapids Press Š 2007 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.