Prison to be closed by July; 1,500 to be freed
Plan aims to save state $92 million
February 21, 2007
LANSING -- The state will close one of five prisons in Jackson by July and free 1,500 inmates, the first step in Gov. Jennifer Granholm's plan to cut costs by releasing 5,500 low-risk prisoners.
The release plan ultimately is expected to save the state $92 million as it faces a potential deficit of more than $1 billion for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
The closures would be the first major downsizing of a prison system that has expanded since the early 1980s and swelled to 51,000 inmates -- one of the biggest in the Midwest.
The Southern Michigan Correctional Facility will be closed and its 1,481 inmates either released or moved to other prisons, Russ Marlan, spokesman for the Department of Corrections, said Tuesday. Included are 500 inmates to be removed from the nearby Egeler Reception & Guidance Center.
"This is the start of implementing the governor's budget plan," Marlan said.
In addition to reducing the number of inmates, 425 state corrections jobs will be affected. Marlan said although most workers would be offered jobs at other prisons, he would not rule out possible layoffs.
He said the 1,500 inmates released would be chosen from among 51,000 inmates around the state. He said they would have to have served at least their minimum sentence and would be placed on parole.
Marlan said sex offenders and those convicted of violent crimes would not be eligible for release.
Jackson Mayor Jerry Ludwig, who works at the prison as a food service supervisor, said he and other employees were notified at 3:45 p.m. that the prison would be closing on July 1.
"Everybody is in a state of shock in the place," he said. "There's a freeze on hiring, transfers -- the whole gamut."
The economic impact on the city "would be very substantial," he said. "This is not a good time for the city of Jackson. It's basically a little city and you're cutting out a large segment of it."
Jackson City Manager William Ross said the city was not given official notification of the governor's plan to close the prison. He said the prisons complex, located outside the city in Blackman Township, is one of the largest employers in the county -- if not the largest.
"That's a major problem because you're talking about 400 jobs that won't be there," Ross said. He was most concerned about the release of thousands of low-risk prisoners without providing services to prevent them from committing crimes.
The state has cut revenue sharing, forcing many cities to reduce the number of police officers, and county jails are overcrowded, he said.
"I don't know what their definition of low risk is," Ross said. "History shows there is a recidivism rate."
State Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said: "I have to hope the governor knows what she's doing. Public safety has got to be the governor's No. 1 concern. This is huge."
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, was surprised by the announcement, said his spokesman, Matt Marsden. He said they had asked for, but hadn't received, detailed discussions with Granholm about the state's budget problems.
Last week, Senate Republicans rejected Granholm's executive order to cut $166 million from the budget, saying her budget plan did not include enough cuts.
The two targeted prison facilities are among five in Jackson that house a combined 7,800 inmates -- about 15% of the state's prison population.
The announcement of a July closure in Jackson also surprised Mel Grieshaber, executive director of the Michigan Corrections Organization, which represents corrections officers. He said he expected prison closures would begin in October.
"It seems like it's quite a rush. Maybe a risky one," Grieshaber said.
He added, "We have a lot of concern that there are a lot of bad guys in these lower security level faculties. If that's what they want, they'll have to live with their decisions."
Contact CHRIS CHRISTOFF at 517-372-8660 or christoff@freepress.com.
Copyright © 2007 Detroit Free Press Inc.
