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| Jail will let some inmates out early |
| By The Detroit News |
| Published: 09/19/2005 |
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Nonviolent offenders could be released from the Macomb County, Mich., Jail beginning this week as part of a plan to relieve chronic overcrowding. Jail staff will begin reviewing prisoner files Monday to decide who can be released. The exact number of eligible inmates is not yet known. A committee comprised of police, judges, probation officers and jail staff decided last Thursday that across-the-board sentence reductions for non-violent offenders is the best way to reduce the jail population. The decision came after officials were unable to bring the jail population down to 1,413 prisoners, a move mandated by law after an overcrowding emergency is declared. About 1,450 prisoners were being held in the jail Thursday, which has been operating under a jail emergency since Sept. 1. Jail personnel will begin to divide the jail population into low- and high-risk prisoners. After the low- risk prisoners are identified, Viviano will contact district court judges to ensure they will not pose a risk to the public if released. This will be the third early release of prisoners in as many months from the Mount Clemens facility. The Macomb County Jail released 200 inmates in July and more than 100 last month to reduce overcrowding. Prisoners jailed for crimes such as murder, sexual assault and armed robbery are not among those being considered for release. But while the release may provide a temporary reprieve, permanent relief of overcrowding is at least two years off, Sheriff Mark Hackel said. |
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