Michigan Votes Forum

 I support Good time credits!  I agree that prisoners should serve at least their minimum sentences but good time credits could be taken off their max date. 

 We support good time credits for all prisoners.  Good time should come back like most other states.  Judges sometime gives harsher sentences!!  The longer human are incarcerated the worse the get, especially emotionally and physically being away from loved ones and family.  It doesn't take years to learn from a mistake, we all know there are many innocent prisoners and sadly, the justice system process takes a very long time to get somewhere or be heard!!! 

I also support Good Time credits. What sense does it make to keep a person incarcerated for longer than they need to be. In cases where the accused is truly guilty, I am sure that a majority of the inmates serving longer sentences are repentant and are "Reformed" In cases where the accused is innocent, why prolong their hellish nightmare of suffering any longer? I agree that it takes a lot out of  people when they are locked up for a long period of time, not to mention what it does to the family and friends of the prisoner who are waiting and hoping for an earlier return to some sense of normalcy. Furthermore, with the rising cost that it takes to keep inmates in jails, why make the make the taxpayers continue to foot the bill for a person who would be perfectly able to function in society YEARS before their scheduled release date. In this economy, I think the legislators could find a better way to spend our tax dollars.

 you should balance all that with what the crime took out of the victim. if the criminal is truly innocent, you should be fighting with all your might to get them released today, up to and including taking the case to the supreme court and every news outlet on the planet.

What if you are and the supreme court refuses to hear the case. Then what?

 then you should let the news media know about it. if your loved one is truly innocent, they should be able to put pressure on the 'system' to look at the case again.

now, if your loved one plead guilty, all that effort is for nothing.

 We know he's innocent he had a very harsh, prejudice judge.  Sadly the system process is very slow.  You're lucky if the Supreme Court looks at the case they only consider 2 cases out of 10 after waiting and waiting!!! they're in they're luxury offices in a very beautiful building!  We will not stop fighting for a young man's life who's dying slowly from suffering in prison knowing he's being punished for something he did not do!   Maybe the only chance once you get stuck in this system is the media to let the people know how unjustice sometime our system works!  And better yet just change the jury system who convict a person when they're sleeping half the time ....

 yes - but what if it backfires and it had a negative effect on the case because of the media speculation

 the media cannot speculate if it knows all the facts. not just your opinions. cold, hard facts. if the facts convicted your loved one, all the media and trips to the supreme court will do you no good.  if the facts state, plainly that your loved one is innocent, and you can lay out your case to the media, then your loved one should be out of jail fairly quickly.

if the facts are not on your side, you have a big problem. that makes it look like you are just trying to get a criminal a shorter sentence, and that is what most people are against that oppose this bill.

 i have to wonder, how did your loved one get convicted if he is totally innocent?

One might wonder how OJ was found innocent when the entire country thinks he's guilty.

 simple - unlimited resources for his defense fund - the best lawyers money can buy

You are so right. Our prisons are filled with poor people.

 aren't they supposed to be filled with criminals? how did jenny turn them into 'debtors prisons'?

Most of them were incarcerated when "Johnny" was guv.

 really? why does jenny make them stay?

Long sentences. Johnny didn't want them voting.

 but jennie does.

Ask her.

 i didn't elect her. she hasn't solved the problem of innocents in her prisons in her seven years in office.

I'm not sure the description of this bill by Michigan Votes is accurate. In reading the text, I get the impression it removes any "disciplinary time" from being used to move the date a prisoner becomes eligible for parole.

 from what i've read, disciplinary time was the big sticking point on this, and all the similar laws. if you don't count disciplinary time, you can't prove 'bad behavior'. thus, everybody gets out early, whether they deserve to or not.

If you don't count disciplinary time, they get out at the earliest time they become eligible for parole, if they meet the other requirments for parole.

 shouldn't any disciplinary time an inmate earns be a requirement for revoking parole?

No.

 how do you prove good behavior if someone has disciplinary problems?

Hire a good lawyer.

 no such thing.

 what good does it do to authorize 'good time' for those who have not been 'good'?

How about a smart lawyer then?

 there are those. but they are of no use here. prisoners don't get legal representation in internal disciplinary matters. but internal disciplinary matters do show 'worthiness' to be given good time credits, and should not be ignored. in fact, they are the only barometer to determining if an inmate deserves to be given good time credits.

OK.

 the only reason to ignore them is to give those that do not deserve good time an early release.

Maybe.

 why not just pardon them? they aren't going to be punished either way. or, just convict them and let them go free. the result is the same.

Neither of those suggestions are what this bill is about.

 but they do achieve the same ends.

The ends is not the subject, the means is.

 the ends do not justify the means. if the intent of this law, and the legislators, is to shorten sentences, then write new laws that shorten sentences. do not meddle where you have no business. sentences are assigned by a judge, a member of the judicial branch. legislature cannot control the judicial without writing new law.

the legislature can control costs (one of the reasons for this bill) by simply charging themselves less per inmate per day.

it is not their job to 'second guess' the judicial branch on an inmate by inmate basis.