Michigan Votes Forum

Introduced in the House on May 8, 2007, to require that when a county jail’s population exceeds 95 percent of rated capacity for five consecutive days, the sheriff must immediately release prisoners who are in for failure to provide child support, and those who have served at least 85 percent of their time for other crimes but are not in for assaultive or sex crimes, serious drug crimes, or drunk driving. The bill also authorizes the adoption and implementation of a written county jail population management to reduce or prevent chronic jail overcrowding, upon the agreement of the county sheriff, the county prosecutor, the chief circuit judge or district judge (or a district judge selected by his or her peers), and the state court administrative office. See also House Bill 4234

The vote was 89 in favor, 18 opposed and 3 not voting

(House Roll Call 242 at House Journal 67)

Click here to view bill details.

Rape is the same as dui to this mental lightweight? We'll let crack dealers out before the poor schmuck that got busted at .09 after 3 beers??? We are doomed to a life of government servitude. We should long for the days of serfdom, at least they only took 30% of your wages and not all your freedoms too. "sheriff must immediately release prisoners who are in for failure to provide child support, and those who have served at least 85 percent of their time for other crimes but are not in for assaultive or sex crimes, serious drug crimes, or drunk driving"

The price tag of incarceration is what is ruining us. We have to decide who is worth imprisoning. Every ticket an officer writes costs $3000, Every law passed costs $5000 and even more. Three strikes and your out costs taxpayers $50K to house the inmate every year! Financially we are doomed! Ever hear of "Market Saturation?" We have prison saturation! and we cannot pay for it anymore. Tax dollars are gobbling up our financial security. Prison budget is what is finishing us off. We have hard choices to face.

"Every ticket an officer writes costs $3000, Every law passed costs $5000 and even more." The state makes money on everyone of these ill thought out, steal from the citizen laws. The average cop/revenue agent brings in lots more money than he costs. Even with the ridiculous salaries some on them are paid. Some cities let them work all the overtime they want if they get to a certain ticket quota. The average cop can steal from you at any time and the imperial government loves it.

I think we are heading the right direction with allowing some crimnal releases that are not very serious crimnals.The state corrections department estimates show housing a inmate cost about 30 thousand a year.I think its sad like someone else said the madd money machine keeps legislators from allowing guys busted for having one or two beers out of jail.I mean they never should've been there to begin with if you go to www.gettMadd.com you will see what a scam Madd is and how throw theere weight around twisting statistics to sauit them and totally decieving the american public what a sham.

that it's going to be the drunks that get released? it's going to be the robbers and burglars. drunks pay restitution, and driver responsibility fees, and court costs, and incarceration costs, and any other cost and fee they can throw at you. burglars and robbers DON'T. i'm personally waiting for the repeat performance of the patrick selepack trick. some wacko nut job who's already killed ten or twelve people is going to be released 'BY MISTAKE' and we will all just sigh and pretend that the governor wasn't responsible.

The whole Justice System is messed up. They let prosecutor lies and get away with whatever to send people to prison they don't even care if they're INNOCENT! Also,they need to come up with a better ways to pick out the juries???who is willing to serve and pay attention and differentiate between the stories and lies and prejudice! to be sure not everyone goes to prison..it is costing tax payers alots of money and no one cares.

that a jury of average people cannot tell when a prosecutor is lying? who are you going to put on the juries? your statements would require that every person in every city in michigan is 'out to get' certain people, and that they are 'fine with that'. i don't remember anyone talking to me about the 'grand conspiracy' you suggest is going on in michigan. maybe, just maybe, the guys are GUILTY. but you probably don't believe that.

I am not saying everyone, but prosecutors only care about winning if the person is guily or not many are guilty and some are not. I have experienced a very bad case where a person was innocent,but prosecutor and detective played a bad game and deals..the defendant lawyer's hope was to prove doubt which was obvious, juries didn't even considered they just wanted to finish and leave...and they were not even a peer to the person or case. Don't you at least think a jury should be of a peer? and know something about how the law works? Our opinion it just an opinion and hope!

a person with exactly the same life experiences as you have, nor does it mean a person in exactly the same social position as you. if you are a citizen, all other citizens are your peers. it's used to keep elected officials off of juries. everybody learned about the law in school, or should have. jury nullification depends on an EDUCATED citizenry. if you don't know that a jury can nullify a wrongful prosecution, you don't need to have passed high school civics.

"but are not in for assaultive or sex crimes, serious drug crimes, or drunk driving" So you have a few beers and an overzealous donut eater sees your tailight out and you get into the system and now you are the same as a rapist or a guy who thumps on his wife? Maybe if one of these so called cops had their wife or daughter meet up with one of these rapists then they would be able to tell the difference between a guy that had a few beers and a criminal. Protect and Serve... My A$$!

Okay, so last year they passed this law that said when the prison population got too high they would release the people, starting with the ones that were non violent and did things as horrific as falling behind on they're child support payments...the shame! I kind of wonder why judges were putting people in jail for that any way. I mean if you already can't make you child support payments, I don't see how losing you job as you go off to serve a sentence could possibly help that. But now a year after the law took effect, it doesn't look like the streets are lined up with criminals any more or any less than before. In fact this law was supported by well a host of Judges, Sheriffs, Undersheriffs, the list goes on. In fact the only judges that seem to have opposed was Judge Lisa L. Asadoorian, and Judge Diane Dickow D’Agostini...great job girls! way to uphold the precepts of freedom!

why do we need to release MORE prisoners? because we have more prisoners in jail. remember, all the state has to do to eliminate overcrowding due to STUPID LAWS is REPEAL THOSE STUPID LAWS. it's really that easy. other states can do it, but WE CAN'T. that says a lot for the intelligence level.