WHY REFORM IS NEEDED

 

Our Current Corrections System is…

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A Bad Investment in Public Safety

We are paying a high cost for a corrections system that is ineffective. Today, MI taxpayers spend $35,000/year per prisoner and the corrections budget is over $2 billion/year. Additionally, prisoners in MI serve the longest average sentences in the country (54 months), but this has little impact on crime rates.

 

In order to have a criminal justice system that is both fiscally responsible, and effective in reducing crime and recidivism, reform is needed.

 

Hurtful to Our Families and Community

Not only is it expensive financially, but it is costing the health of our MI families. Right now, almost 60,000 people are housed in our prisons and jails, and 65% of the families of these prisoners cannot meet their basic needs.

Also, 10% of MI children have had a parent in prison and are seven times more likely to be incarcerated themselves, drop out or be suspended from school, become homeless, and/or suffer from mental illness. We want to use reform to stop a harmful cycle of incarceration for MI families and create a system that is restorative.

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Here’s why our approach is effective.

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• We focus on elected officials, key races, and public opinion to build sustainable long-term political support for criminal justice reform in Michigan.  

• Our four-pronged approach rewards legislators who take action and removes those who remain content with failing, expensive policies.

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