Click here for the May 2, 2008 Conference materials

Balancing Our Priorities:
Can We Safely Spend Less on Corrections?
Click here for the program with links to speaker handouts

Held on May 2, 2008 at the Lansing Community College

State budget shortfalls have left many state services shortchanged.  The Michigan Foster Care Review Board recently reported that the system responsible for 19,000 abused or neglected children lacks the case workers and resources to properly place, protect and plan for these vulnerable wards. In 2008, eligibility criteria for the Family Independence Program were tightened to save $65 million and $18 million was cut from recipient allowances for day care. A $20 million reduction in General Fund spending for Community Health meant cuts to pregnancy prevention programs and hearing tests. Although students have shouldered repeated increases in tuition, higher education received an effective increase of only 1%. While the number of police on the street has declined by 1,600, revenue sharing payments to local communities were frozen. The Department of Environmental Quality, which protects our air, water and land resources, was cut 17%.

One department continued to see substantial growth. Corrections, with an increase of 6.4%, will spend nearly $2.1 billion – more than 20% of all of General Fund spending. With 50,000 people in prison, Michigan’s incarceration rate far exceeds those of comparable states. We rank first in the nation in the proportion of total state expenditures on corrections. It is one of the few areas where significant savings might be possible.

So we ask ourselves: How can corrections spending be safely reduced? Do we have too many people in prison or does public safety require such a large system?  Should sentencing rules be adjusted to lock fewer people up?  Should more people who are eligible for parole be released? What can be done about the thousands of mentally ill people who end up in prison?  How cost-effective are treatment programs and crime prevention strategies?  How does the return on investing in prisons compare to investing in universities, local communities and at-risk kids?

Everyone concerned about any area of state spending needs to understand the various options in corrections. To provide a basic overview to stakeholders with diverse backgrounds, five organizations with expertise in criminal justice policy hosted a half-day conference, Balancing Our Priorities: Can We Safely Spend Less on Corrections? As the program indicates, speakers represented a wide range of perspectives. 

A recent Lansing State Journal editorial noted, “2008 will likely be a significant year in setting a course for Michigan’s financial future,” and urged citizens “to start early and engage often as the debate rolls on.