Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on January 31, 2007, to eliminate a prohibition on allowing someone convicted of a crime for a second time to be placed in a special alternative incarceration program ("boot camp" type program). The program is sometimes required as a condition of probation, where the alternative is commitment to a real prison

The vote was 103 in favor, 5 opposed and 2 not voting

(House Roll Call 64 at House Journal 29)

Click here to view bill details.

Senator Scott’s statement is as follows: Martin Luther King’s letters from a Birmingham jail remain some of the most thoughtful, insightful, and powerful political statements of the 20th century. This is partly due to the Reverend King’s message and partly due to the circumstances in which they were written. In one of those letters, he wrote: “We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always right to do right.” The time is always right to do right. For me, that does not mean waiting until the political climate is more favorable. It does not mean until the economy or the insurance industry or health care costs are more favorable. And it does not mean waiting for some weak compromise to emerge. The time to do right is now, and I am attempting to do right for all Michigan residents by asking you to please move my bills.

Senator Richardville’s statement as follows: I would actually like to take a moment to recognize a very special person who has been working here for a number of years, Renae Moore, one of our journal clerks. Renae, would you just stand for a moment. Renae has been a journal clerk for the Senate for almost five years, and before that, she worked at the Legislative Service Bureau in the Legal Editing and Law Publications Division. Tomorrow is Renae’s last day of work for the Senate, but today is her last session day. Mr. Lieutenant Governor, as you know she is a pleasure to have on the rostrum. She is efficient and friendly, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank her for her outstanding work. Renae has a young family. She is looking forward to being able to go home around 5 o’clock. At least, that is what she thinks will happen at her new job with Dykema Gossett. I have a tribute here to read. I won’t read it; I’ll give it to her a little later. I was wondering if my colleagues, before Renae is asked to print these words in the Journal, would please join me in thanking her for her work with the Michigan Senate.

Senator Cropsey asked and was granted unanimous consent to make a statement and moved that the statement be printed in the Journal. The motion prevailed. Senator Cropsey’s statement is as follows: This is the conference report on the boot camp bill. The bill expands the eligibility for allowing repeat offenders to be placed in prisoner boot camp. The conference committee report in front of you reflects an agreement with the administration caused by, quite honestly, giving us a Michigan Department of Corrections budget with a large budget hole. The Michigan Department of Corrections has promised, finally, after six years, to implement the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative in boot camps, and that is in this bill. All of the research has shown that prisoner boot camps don’t work no matter what type of programming is used. Repeat offenders are probably the last prisoners you want in boot camp, but the Michigan Department of Corrections has insisted and so has the administration that this bill be passed. The only redeeming quality in the bill is the sunset of September 30, 2009, at which time all prison boot camps will be sunsetted. That is part of our agreement, and I am very publicly telling the administration that I expect this part of the agreement to be upheld. Let me get it quite clear. When we are given a Michigan Department of Corrections budget next February for 2010, I do not expect it and it should not include boot camps. We have all had to face the consequences of an out-of-control department spending, and it has to stop. No more unbalanced budgets. No more fantasy budgets based on policies that don’t exist. As of October 1, 2009, prisoner boot camps under this legislation will no longer exist in Michigan—prisoner boot camps in the Michigan Department of Corrections. So while I do not like expanding boot camps to repeat offenders, it does reflect an agreement I have with the administration.