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| For State’s Corrections Budget, What’s Really at Stake is a Second Chance |
| By wdet.org - Cheyna Roth |
| Published: 06/07/2017 |
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The state is hammering out its budget. And lawmakers are having a sharp disagreement with the governor’s office over one of Michigan’s biggest price tags – the corrections budget. Both sides agree rehabilitation and lowering recidivism is the way to go. But they can’t agree on how much money to spend this year. At stake are programs – like the Vocational Village in Ionia – that have helped lower the state’s incarceration rate. Outside the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, it looks exactly like you would expect a prison to look. Elaborate fencing and razor wire. Grassy areas punctuated by metal picnic tables bolted to cement. But inside the D Unit, you’ll find a mechanic’s shop. Craig Estlick is working on a white state issued car with two other inmates. He will be a master mechanic by next month. He’s been in the program since January. Before he came to prison all he knew about cars was how to change a tire. Estlick is in prison for a home invasion. It’s his second stint behind bars. He says the first time he went in he didn’t have a plan for when he got out. “I was just ganna go out into the world and hope for the best,” he said. “And I had a really hard time finding employment and I got into drugs and I couldn’t afford the drugs so I committee some crimes so I could feed my habit.” Read More. |
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