Michigan Prison Reform

Prison reform is always a hot button issue for politicians to talk about. To appear soft on crime by suggesting any policy change that would result in criminals doing less time in prison has been considered political suicide. But some courageous politicians are beginning to see that the lengthy prison term policies of the last few decades have only served to burden the states (and federal government) with a very costly and overcrowded prison system. 

In Michigan alone, nearly $2 billion of the State's budget goes to the Department of Corrections. Evidence discovered through several recent studies has shown that longer prison sentences do not equate to safer communities or to more rehabilitated prisoners. Yet, some politicians continue to fight for the status quo. 

Undoubtedly, crime should be punished. Victims deserve the assurance that our justice system will punish crime. The problem is in the definition of justice. Many experts are beginning to see the value in restorative justice practices. These practices don't look for retribution only, but restoration between the offender and the community in which they offended. The focus is on repairing the harm done and restoring what can be restored to the victim: monetarily, emotionally, and psychologically. 

Although Michigan continues to resist changes in this direction, recent legislation has sought to begin addressing the mass incarceration problem in Michigan. A fair first step is legislation that would make it harder for the parole board to deny a prisoner parole (when he is eligible) for any reason or for no reason at all. This so called "presumptive parole" bill does not remove the parole board's power to make decisions, but it puts fair guidelines in place to limit their denial of a prisoner's parole to certain important conditions. Although this bill is a common sense first-step solution to over-incarceration, some politicians continue to resist the prison reform our State needs. 

If you'd like to learn more about this bill and other needed reforms so that you can advocate for common sense changes, visit CAPPS or MI-Cure, two prison reform advocacy organizations in Michigan. You can also subscribe to their newsletters if you're interested in staying up to date.

Entitled to Fairness

One prisoner is owed twenty dollars by another prisoner who fails to pay his debt on time. As a result, the first prisoner retaliates, either stabbing, beating up, or robbing the debtor. Not even hours before the prisoner 'sentences' the debtor to such severe retaliation, he is heard bending the ear of anyone who will listen as he airs his grievance of being unfairly railroaded by the courts. The irony of such duplicity is lost on the prisoner. This characteristic of hypocritical and unbalanced belief in fairness, as well as a sense of entitlement, is common among prisoners.

Fairness is a good quality, but when out of balance even something good can become a negative quality. Many prisoners hold the view that they should be treated fairly, but that they may treat others any way they wish, as in the above example. Entitlement, on the other hand, is the belief that one is owed something by another. This might be tangible, such as money, or intangible, such as respect. This sense of entitlement isn't restricted to prisoners, but it is also pervasive throughout society today. In poor communities entitlement is fostered through the abuse of government programs. If one can get something without working for it often enough, they soon come to believe it is owed to them. Even wealthy people can feel entitled, believing that their wealth earns them certain privileges such as respect, special treatment, and judicial blindness. In prison, entitlement persists as prisoners constantly complain about not receiving something, tangible or intangible, that they feel entitled to.

Many criminal characteristics, such as these, may be common even in free society, yet, they don't always lead to criminal behavior. Even so, our job as prisoners is to identify criminal thinking to correct these errors so we become healthy, productive citizens. It's a process many don't know how to even start, and those who do often lack support or resources to be very successful at it. Many prisoners lack the insight or motivation to make fundamental changes in their behaviors or thinking. For those who do though, successful, self-motivated rehabilitation requires resources like appropriate books, educational and spiritual material, guidance and mentorship, or even simple encouragement. 

What resources would you recommend to prisoners who are working to change? Could you be a resource to help a prisoner change? How can you influence a prisoner who doesn't have the insight or motivation to start the work on his own?