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| OpEd: Oversight smartly restored |
| By Dertroit Free Press |
| Published: 04/01/2008 |
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MICHIGAN - Legislators deserve credit for having enough foresight to restore their Corrections Ombudsman's Office. The House has set aside $1.25 million for the office, and the Senate $500,000 from next year's budget. Given what's at stake and the size of the prison system, the House version of this reauthorization bill is better. The two sides should reach agreement on an amount that enables the office to hire enough field investigators to handle thousands of complaints a year, and then send a final plan to Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The Michigan Department of Corrections hasn't had proper oversight since 2003, when the Legislature closed its Corrections Ombudsman's Office to save $500,000 a year. The department has its own grievance procedure, but it essentially investigates itself. Legislators apparently understand that, in the long run, a corrections department with little outside scrutiny will cost much more. Michigan also needs the office to field questions from inmates' families, who have problems getting even routine information about prison procedures and policies. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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