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| Keep the violent offenders locked up |
| By freep.com |
| Published: 09/17/2009 |
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Michigan is in the middle of another crisis. A $2.7-billion budget deficit is looming in Lansing that could lead to a state government shutdown on Oct. 1. The Granholm administration is exploring the possibility of bringing violent criminals to the Standish Maximum Security Facility -- from Pennsylvania or even Guantanamo Bay. The debate over bringing prisoners to Michigan misses the point. The real issue is: Why are we releasing Michigan's violent criminals to make room for them in the first place? Michigan leads the Midwest in violent crimes today; our state also has the least police officers per capita in the Midwest. Moreover, safety and security are two of the top responsibilities of government. If we're not safe, that is a fundamental failure of our elected officials. It doesn't take a career law enforcer to understand what these violent offenders will do when they are paroled. Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation. In many of our large cities, unemployment has risen to nearly 30% -- with more than a third of the residents living below the poverty line. Career criminals, released onto our streets without a job or a means to start life over, will continue to commit crimes. More victims and more economic costs will be the result. While Lansing has to cut costs, doing so at the expense of the safety of our citizens is irresponsible, especially when they fail to look at other ways that would save the state money. Keeping the Standish Facility open with Michigan's criminals inside should be a priority. There are very specific ways to accomplish that task. As sheriff of Oakland County, I have had to find ways to cut my budget without compromising the safety of the community. As one example, I privatized the feeding of the inmates by competitively bidding out food services for the jail. This saves us $1.6 million annually. Read More. |
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