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| State, inmates settle $7.5M, 15-year suit |
| By Lansing State Journal |
| Published: 12/08/2003 |
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State prison inmates can keep their own winter mittens and buy coats for themselves. They're also promised a clean pair of underpants each day, and two pairs of thermal underwear apiece. These are among details of a settlement ending a class-action lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Corrections that consumed 15 years and cost taxpayers $7.5 million - one of the nation's longest, costliest prison reform cases. The lawsuit, launched in 1988 by a handful of inmates, also touched on levels of personal freedom, double-bunking and other aspects of life behind bars. Much was at stake: State corrections officials portrayed it as a battle to keep courts and prisoners from taking control of the prison system. Lawyers for the prisoners predict the settlement will make things better for their clients in numerous ways. No cost estimates were available, but corrections officials say the impact will be minimal. "There really are no key changes," Corrections Department attorney Jeff Baumann said. "We've agreed to sit down and discuss some things, such as prisoner classification, to see if we come up with any new ideas." Inmates who behave themselves, even murderers, eventually can end up with relatively generous privileges - by prison standards. Prisoners who steal from others, or get in fights, can end up in tightly restricted cell blocks, even if their crimes weren't so serious. Advocates claim many inmates are kept in high-security prisons long after they've earned the right to freer movement. Sandra Girard, head of the legal team representing prisoners, predicted 2,500 to 3,500 of them will be reclassified to lower security levels as a result of the settlement. |
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