Advocates give budget deal mixed reviews for investing in prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry for folks impacted by the criminal legal system
MICHIGAN – Groups working to make Michigan safer and more just for everyone gave the recent budget mixed reviews for promoting public safety through violence prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry.
Cuts to Community-Based and Peer-Led Reentry Slammed
“Peer-led reentry is one of the most promising innovations we’ve seen in public safety, and the legislature was foolish not to fund it directly,” said Chuck Warpehoski, Project Director for Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration. “Hard data and personal accounts show the profound difference it makes when people coming home from prison have the support of a peer navigator who has successfully reentered society and can help them walk that same road home. Recidivism goes down, job success goes up, and people have a chance to give back to their community with peer-led reentry, and we hope that state officials will find other ways to fund this life-saving work.”
Groups Celebrate increases in Community Violence Intervention Funding
“We applaud the legislature for continuing to invest in proven strategies that prevent violence and incarceration like Community Violence Intervention. Our elected leaders are providing support for neighborhood based solutions across the state that are proven to save lives,” said Dr. Kenlana Ferguson, executive director, Michigan Transformation Collective. “Additional funds will deepen school-community based partnerships that reduce and prevent violence.”
The budget includes a total of $15 million for violence prevention across the school aid, DHHS, and public safety revenue sharing budgets.
Rehabilitation Gets a Mixed Review
“We are grateful the legislature walked back from threatened cuts to prison food,” said Michael Taylor, program coordinator at Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration. “I know from experience that you can’t focus on your rehabilitation when you’re hangry. In fact, the reverse is true. When people can’t get enough to eat at chow they are often forced to turn to illicit activities to meet their nutritional needs–which is counterproductive and dangerous for everyone.”
“One shining spot in this budget is the requirement that the Michigan Department of Corrections change its strip search protocol,” said Natalie Holbrook-Combs of the American Friends Service Committee Michigan Criminal Justice Program. “Strip searches are traumatic for everyone. Sixty to ninety percent of incarcerated women are survivors of sexual violence and physical abuse. The current practice of strip-searching sexual assault survivors after every visit with loved ones, after attorney visits, after meeting with the Legislative Corrections Ombudsman, after work shifts within the prison is unnecessary and cruel. We only hope that the Department of Corrections includes incarcerated people, mental health professionals, and sexual assault survivor input as they fix this callous policy.”
Advocates Thankful for Investing in Sentencing Commission
John Cooper, Executive Director of Safe & Just Michigan, praised Legislature’s decision to appropriate $750,000 for the new Michigan Sentencing Commission, which was signed into law by Governor Whitmer earlier this year: “Michigan has not had a Sentencing Commission since its Sentencing Guidelines were enacted in 1998. The Michigan Sentencing Commission will provide the data, research, and policy expertise the Legislature needs for the oversight and continuous improvement of Michigan’s sentencing system. We believe the Commission can play a key role in making Michigan safer and more just, and in reducing corrections costs for taxpayers. This funding will allow the Commission to hire staff and begin building toward these goals.
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