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| Granholm's prison plan is ambitious |
| By By DAVID EGGERT | Associated Press Writer |
| Published: 02/16/2009 |
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LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm's ambitious plan to save money by releasing more prisoners is doable, but a lot has to go right for it to work. Since the number of inmates exceeded 51,000 almost two years ago, her administration has lowered the population to just over 48,000 through paroles and commutations, a timely drop in felony convictions and prison intakes, and an expanded program that aims to keep parolees from committing new crimes. The trend certainly could continue, but the Michigan Department of Corrections has a tough path ahead to reach its goal of reducing the head count an additional 7 percent by year's end. The last time Michigan was under 45,000 inmates: 1999. The $2 billion corrections budget is under scrutiny because Michigan incarcerates people at a higher rate and pays corrections workers higher salaries compared with other Great Lakes states. Corrections is the largest program controlled directly by state government and employs nearly one-third of all state employees. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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