Background: MMA has worked closely with a group coordinated by the Center for Michigan, the Corrections Reform Coalition3, which is made up of a diverse group of organizations including representatives of the business, nonprofit, education and local government sectors. We support their recommendations in three categories: prison population, staff and labor issues and other prison operations.
- Prison Population: With annual costs of more than $30,000 per inmate, population reduction and prison closure is a primary cost saving measure.
Areas of concern and potential savings:
- Minimizing the number of prisoners serving past their earliest release dates — could save $120 million.
- Implementing Council of State Governments’ reforms — could result in $35 million in total savings over the next four years.
- Expediting parole for medically fragile prisoners — could remove about 300-400 prisoners.
- Assuring the parole board expedites all hearings and paroles to the extent possible without compromising public safety.
- Establishing a sentencing commission to thoroughly examine Michigan’s incarceration policies and recommend practical and safe reforms (must be benchmarked to other states).
- Staff and Labor Issues: Payroll accounts for three-quarters of all Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) expenses and prison costs have risen over the past three years, despite a 14 percent drop in prison population.
Areas of concern and potential savings:
- Reduce staffing levels — While the number of prisoners dropped, the number of corrections officers did not.
- Employee pay and fringe benefits — Michigan’s prison system pay is highest in the Great Lakes Region, and 13 percent higher than the Great Lakes average in 2008:
- Work Rules: Changes to the following could save $51 million per year.
- Overtime/sick time — could save $29 million per year.
- Clothing/dry cleaning allowances for officer uniforms — could save $5.4 million.
- Retention pay — could save $5.5 million.
- Longevity pay — could save $8.2 million.
- State paid holidays — could save $3 million.
- Other Prison Operations:While progress has been achieved over the past few years through closures, consolidations, reorganizations, process efficiencies and other reforms, more work needs to be done.
Areas of concern and potential savings:
- Process engineering — Food service efficiencies have saved $4 million annually.
- Deportable prisoners — Removing 59 prisoners would save $600,000 annually.
- Chelsea Boot Camp — Keep it open; would save more than $30 million per year.
- Mentally ill prisoners — Need to identify best practices.
- Continue to tackle recidivism through strong re-entry programs and additional reforms. MDOC estimates net savings, after considerable reinvestment, of $172 million.
MMA Position: MMA calls on the Administration and the Legislature to seriously consider the recommendations of the Corrections Reform Coalition.