Michigan Votes Forum

Im speaking from being a victim several times throughout my life:

I have been trying to see something passed on this issue for a long time. I believe that the bill should allow for "good time" releases. There are far too many people in this country in prison for crimes in which they didnt commit as well as the punishment did not fit the crime. Also, even for the people that has spent lots of years for crimes they did commit. If the sole purpose of prison is to rehabilitate then people should be allowed an opportunity to be released if they have comformed and showed that they can become a productive citizen.

Lastly, from a budget stand point and tax payer the early release program will reduce spending for prisons and over crowded prisons. Please approve this bill! Thanks

 the sole purpose of prison is to punish. the pipe dream of left is to rehabilitate the prisoner.

 one has to wonder, sir, what exactly are you considering yourself a victim of?

silence dogood:

 the sole purpose of prison is to punish. the pipe dream of left is to rehabilitate the prisoner.

 That is ignorant at worst and a foolish mistake at best.

The ENTIRE purpose of prison/jail is to rehabilitate.

The days of flogging, whipping, leg irons are gone and for good reason. Thats punishment.

Life sentences are for those whose crime is deemed unworthy of,  or unable to be rehabilitated.

Prison sentences are punishment, but that is not the "sole" purpose.

Perhaps the ignorant rightwing thinks torture is "therapy".

 first you say...

TrueBlue:

The ENTIRE purpose of prison/jail is to rehabilitate.

 then you say...

TrueBlue:

Prison sentences are punishment, but that is not the "sole" purpose.

 perhaps you should stop insulting people and make up your mind.

silence dogood:

 first you say...

TrueBlue:

The ENTIRE purpose of prison/jail is to rehabilitate.

 then you say...

TrueBlue:

Prison sentences are punishment, but that is not the "sole" purpose.

 perhaps you should stop insulting people and make up your mind.

 Your lack of comprehension skills is not my problem.

It is  your problem if you think that the truth is insulting.

There is no "nice" way to point out someones stupidity or sheer ignorance.

 ignorance is curable, stupidity is often not. and yes, there are nice ways of pointing out stupidity and ignorance. you should try some. if you feel you must insult someone to get your point across, you powers of communication are severely lacking. it is not my lack of comprehension that is the issue, it is your lack of civil communication.

i take it you believe in rehabilitation, good for you, it is a great goal to strive for, and every criminal should have rehabilitation at least attempted on him while he is incarcerated. as you also stated, with some people rehabilitation doesn't work. with some criminals, penitence is not within them. for them, the punishment they receive is not lost simply because the rehabilitation didn't 'stick'.

prisons are sometimes places where rehabilitation takes place, they are always places where punishment takes place. life sentences are not for those for whom rehabilitation has failed, but for those that society wishes to shun forever. those that society does not wish ever to become part of society again. who's crimes are so heinous and infamous that there is no reason to believe that re-entry into society is possible, or even wanted.

the largest opposition to revising prison time off for good behavior procedures is not because rehabilitation has not taken place, but because the public does not perceive that enough punishment has taken place. the largest group of proponents of revising prison time off for good behavior are the spouses and loved ones of incarcerated individuals, who have personal reasons other than the state's best interests at heart.

i personally believe that the state should make revisions in the mandatory sentencing rules, not the 'good time' law. i also think that the state charges itself too much for the upkeep of inmates, much more than most other states. the state prison budget per inmate is very high, and only this year has the figure gone down, proof that this state can reduce these costs with a simple swipe of the legislative pen.

we hear that there are those in our prisons that do not deserve to be there, those that are totally innocent. i would like to believe that our criminal justice system would preclude this from happening, but i am beginning to see some evidence that the claim may have some merit in some cases. what i am also seeing is the increasing amount of inmates that get much harsher sentences than the crime would seem to merit simply because some judge is attempting to appear tough on crime. being tough on crime on a day to day basis is one thing, but being tough on crime once in a career and pointing to it like a trophy on the wall is entirely another.

perhaps this law needs a 'helper' law that mandates further judicial revue of 'questionable' cases to open up some room and relieve some overcrowding. it also needs a good helping of frugality to lower the costs of our prisons considerably. all these measures combined with honest justice will help cure the problems that spurred this legislation.

As an individual who has had personal experience w/in the MDOC I can assure u that that there is a dual purpose which w/out both would only allow for a totally failed system.  While in many aspect the current system is failing in many areas, there is reason for hope. But that hope is from an outside source, and not the system itself.  That Hope is faith based organizations getting involved, and staying involved and while justice is being ministered, so shall mercy.  But lets never forget the victims must be acknowledged, and considered through the whole of the process.  Yes, Punishment is a componet to the MODC system, however w/over 94% of all re-turning citizens returning to soceity, and the communities thereof it behooves the tax - payer to seriously consider the disposition of those re-turning citizens especially given the thought that one may well become your neighbor.  So one would deem that rehabilitation is the corner stone to which we must build upon, and to render skills and trades to which may constitute and facilitate a solid foundation to which those returning may stand upon and be accepted. Okay now that I have got onto my soap-box I must say this bill will constitute a start in a very needful direction... Simply stated, Lets pass this Bill!!!

My husband is incarcerated and has been for 20 years.  I feel like the good time revised would do the prison system some good.  If you haven't been getting into any trouble then they actually lessen their earliest release date.  That would be a good thing especially since the budget is so bad.  If that's the case then do something about it. 

 I was a victim, of a man who was complaining to me about haveing to work so hard to keep up. I was never told that the profesinel drivers I was working with might be paroled, myself had been a comerical driver "18 wheeler" for 15 years never had to deal with ex-convicts, so when I saw that he was getting upset, "I told him there was nothing I could do for him," and I turned away a started walking away, he blew a fuse and started punching me in the back of my head and neck witness told me and the police. I then started to turn around and I got my legs locked and he pushed me to the ground, I feel flat on my back, but I also struck my head on a small curb approx. four inches high,out of that impact I recived 3mm of permint brain damage to the rear of my brain and due to slap reaction another 2-3mm of permint damage to the frontal lobe, that was on August 24, 2007 due to the Tramatic Brain Injory I died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital they resutated me and put me on life suport at the ER, it took 19 staples to close up my head, as a result I have devloped a siesior condition and now I will never be able to drive truck again. About 7 weeks later I was told that the driver that assaulted me was paroled for good behavior after sixteen years served out of 40 for Manslauter he served 9 months in jail before he went to trial, durring that he put another man in the hospital for toutching his $10.00 transistor radio, and served another month and was releasd, My question is was he rehabilated, when he was released? does the system work? And now my family and myself have to serve out the rest of our lives for what? trying to work hard, trying to contribute to the rest of us?  sincerly Myron B.

 Mr. Babler, your situation is horrible indeed.  The real issue is not that they are paroling people, but are they paroling the right people.

I have a son that has been incarcerated for 9.5+ years and has had 3 denials of parole.  He has never been on parole, not given any second chance at all.  However, he tells me all the time about the other inmates who keep getting paroled over and over again.  One individual even told him that "he was going to test his parole officer this time" and it was his 3rd or 4th time getting a parole.

What I cannot understand is why the Michigan Parole Board keeps paroling individuals who they can see have failed while on parole.  After 9.5+ years I have only one conclusion and that is it saves their jobs and the correctional officers who work in the numerous prisons.

Prior to all of the prison closings, there were 47 prisons in Michigan.  There are 33 in California.  Michigan had up to 52,000 inmates in all of those prisons and camps, California had over 100,000.  8 facilities are listed as closed on the corrections website and 3 others have been consolidated(an attempt to give a false number to the public).

However, they are still releasing people on parole that should not be released, the same ones again and again.  A revolving door.  Just so they can keep their jobs.  Just to show the public that "see we released all these people and look what happened, crime and they are back again".  It is all about jobs and money.

It is not about rehabilitiation.  When Engler was governor, he took away every avenue that a person could have as an inmate to be able to "rehabilitate" themselves, the programs are gone that an inmate can use to do this, they classify almost everyone as a drug user, sex offender or assaultive person.  In this state almost every MCL that is listed requires an inmate to take the Assaultive Offender Program.  Yet there is a waiting list a mile or more long.  Even if the inmate successfully completes the AOP, the parole board may not parole them.  But, they will re-parole the inmate who has failed several times before.

It is about jobs.  The correctional officers union lobbies the legislature on this bill.  Mel Greishaber, Executive Director of the MCO has appeared at committe hearings on the bill.  Of all of the people that should be impartial about this, they are one that should.  But they're not.  They are very active politically and only for one reason, to get more members.  They won't get more members in the MCO if prisons close.

Michigan falls into the area where the ratio of custody staff to inmate is very high.  California is low in this area.  But their wages are higher.

We as a society MUST do something!  Locking up everyone forever is not the answer.  They call it "right sizing prisons for Michigan".  How about "Michigan must not turn into "escape from New York"".

Always remember that good time is earned, not just given to anyone.

 I think Michigan is very hard on first time prisiner my son was 19 yr old when he went in and is doing very good! he has learned! He would be a blessing to other if he was out. we are wasting money by keeping him in

Then perhaps the punishment for committing any crime other than a traffic violation should be death? Perhaps non-offenders are the only citizens who are capable of having morals? The idea of rehabilitation is a "pipe dream" and, once convicted of a crime, a citizen can never be trusted to ever be a productive member of society again.

Lets punish anyone convicted of a crime by sending them to prison and stamping there foreheads with a "no longer welcome in society unless you want to work at McDonald's" sign when they get out. No "honest, law-abiding" citizen wants or should have to pay a convicted criminal's prison rent (which I understand to be in the neighborhood of over $30,000 per year per inmate). No "honest, law-abiding" citizen wants or should have to see convicted criminals returned to society. Perhaps those citizens who are "honest" and not "of the left" should round up anyone who is convicted of a crime and ship them via cattle car to concentration camps for extermination.

 convict,

I sincerely hope that your post is just done with sarcasm, because if you really mean what you posted, then you are in a VERY sad place.

 I have a loved one who has served 16 years of his time, he has been a good inmate, no tickets, worked when work has been available, which is not very good at this time due to over crowding of facilities. He has earned three degrees which he has paid for himself and has loving family who want him home. What good does it do to keep housing him there for another 20 months. He has already proved he will be a good citizen upon release. Why are we not releasing indiviuals who have served a greater deal of their minimal sentence, have proved themselves and will in the end cost the state less.

 I don't know if you have ever served time in a prison.  You sound very angry.  I agree that not all prisoners can be rehabiliated, but you can't make that assumption for every prisoner.  I have a son who is in prison.  He made a mistake and has served time for that mistake, however, he can and will be a productive member of society and I have as a law-abiding citizen paid for his housing.  I don't want my son to be shipped to a camp for extermination.  I don't know if you have ever walked in the shoes of someone who has a loved one in prison, if you do ever walk in those shoes, I believe you view will strongly change.  People are not cattles, we are all humans, some have made mistakes and some have not, you are not judge and jury for every inmate or for every citizen of this great country we live in.

 I have a sister who has serve over ten years of a sentence that should never have been given to her for a trajic accident that happened. she has proven herself to be a perfect candidate for early release. She has not been in any trouble, no tickets, no complaints. She has completed many courses and takes advantage of the opportunities that arise to benefit her and others who are in similar situations. She is a loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and a wonderful friend to many. She has proven herself to be rehabilitated and ready to come home to her family and friends. She is not a threat to society or to herself. Dont get me wrong, I do not believe all inmates are or should be eligable for an early release but with proper investigating since there time incarcerated should show who is eligable and who deserves a second chance, as does my sister.