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.
Advocates call for increases in violence prevention and safe reentry after incarceration
MICHIGAN – A group of justice advocates called for more support of proven, community-based violence prevention for those returning to their families and communities. The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) hosted a virtual press conference Wednesday calling on elected officials to keep and increase successful programs that keep everyone safer including residents, prison staff, in addition to those incarcerated and formerly incarcerated. This contrasts starkly with the proposed house budget, which slashes programs regardless of the program’s effectiveness or if cutting programs in the short term will cost us more in the longer term.
Last week, Matt Hall, the Speaker of Michigan House of Representatives, introduced the House Republicans 800-page budget proposal, gave lawmakers 1 hour to review it, and then passed it out of the House.
The budget calls for major across the board cuts. As our fiscal sponsor, the Michigan League for Public Policy notes, it calls for $5 billion in cuts to health care, human services, food safety programs, environmental health and more. Incarcerated people are especially targeted for these cuts to health care, food services, and essential programs. Other cuts threaten constitutionally-mandated public defense, programs to support kids in the juvenile justice system, and the courts.
Here’s a summary of some of the key proposals in the House budget:
House budget hits most vulnerable families, those seeking to change their lives
Contact: Chuck Warpehoski chuckw@mi-cemi.org
MICHIGAN – Public safety advocates are speaking out against a budget passed by Republican members of the Michigan State House of Representatives that cuts funds to programs that promote public safety by preventing crime, promoting rehabilitation, and supporting successful reentry after prison. Taken in total, the House budget would decrease public safety, devastate low income families and have a special impact on those incarcerated and formerly incarcerated.
“The Republican budget proposal guts the very programs that keep our communities safe and help people return home with stability and dignity,” said Ken Nixon, Director of Outreach and Community Partnerships at Safe & Just Michigan. “Cutting reentry services, prison healthcare, education, and alternatives to incarceration doesn’t make Michigan safer—it sets us back. Real public safety comes from investing in people, reducing barriers to success, and ensuring basic human needs are met. Both parties still have work to do to fully live up to that vision, but this plan takes us in the exact opposite direction.”
