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| Prisons cut costs in dimes and dollars |
| By bridgemi.com - Pat Shellenbarger |
| Published: 03/08/2012 |
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Michigan -- The state Department of Corrections will cut back on patrols outside its prison walls and change the job classifications of some corrections officers next month to save an estimated $25 million a year. But the head of the union representing the nearly 8,000 corrections officers complained those moves could make the prisons less safe, while acknowledging there is little the union can do to prevent them. Corrections Department officials disagree that the changes will make the prisons less secure, but say the changes are necessary to rein in the amount Michigan spends on corrections, now about $2 billion, more than 20 percent of the state’s general fund budget. “We’re under tremendous pressure to do whatever we can to reduce our costs,” Corrections Department spokesman Russ Marlan said. Corrections Director Daniel Heyns is “going to look at ways to cut costs,” he added, “but he’s not going to put in place anything that would jeopardize the safety of his officers or the public.” Beginning April 1, the department will eliminate the job classification known as “resident unit officer,” the designation for the 2,500 officers assigned to work in cellblocks and housing units. That change will cost each of those employees $1.46 an hour and save the state $8 million a year in salaries and $4 million in benefits, Marlan said. Leaders of the Michigan Corrections Organization, the union representing the corrections officers, protested the move in a meeting with Corrections Department officials last week. In a message to its members, the union acknowledged the department has the authority to change the job classification, but said it will appeal to the Michigan Civil Service Commission. Read More. |
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