Are Prisoners with Long Sentences Forever Dangerous?

 Today, while I waited in the phone line, the guy behind me struck up a conversation with me. He told me he'd been to prison three times, all for short sentences. He then asked me if this was my first bit (prison sentence). I responded, "Yes, and my only one." As we talked, I mentioned that I'd been in prison for sixteen years so far. His face registered shock as he grabbed his head. "Oh my god!" he replied. "You must be dangerous!" 

After I sort of laughed inside, I told him I wasn't dangerous, and I shared about spending my prison sentence working on my thinking and behaviors. He didn't seem convinced that I wasn't dangerous, and as my turn came up next for the phone, the man behind him revealed he'd spent 25 years in federal prison. The young man about fainted. 

Lengthy prison sentences are increasingly common, especially in Michigan. However, much research has shown that long sentences do not make communities safer. Most prisoners serving long sentences have aged out of crime or have completely changed their lives. These long sentences are a waste of state resources. 

In a recent edition of SADO's Criminal Defense Newsletter (Dec. 2024-Jan. 2025, Vol. 48, Iss. 3 & 4), an article highlighted the length of sentences for prisoners in Michigan. It was not surprising to me, but perhaps astonishing for some, that Michigan has the highest percentage in any state of prisoners serving more than 10 years in prison. 

Nationally, 17% of prisoners have served more than 10 years in prison. In Michigan, 32% of prisoners have, and 41% will have to. That's an abysmal statistic! 

These sentences are usually, though not always, a result of serious crimes. But long sentences, especially without good time like Michigan lacks, are not always the most just solution to crime. In fact, Michigan's lengthy sentences disproportionately affect women and people of color. 

In the last legislative session, there was a push for Second Look Sentencing, which would allow judges to reduce sentences for prisoners who had met certain behavior and time served criteria. This legislation had a lot of support in the Michigan legislature, but legislative leadership refused to bring it up for votes. Now, we have new leaders who still refuse to entertain these reforms, despite the staffing problems with Michigan's prisons. For some reason, this state is entrenched in the belief that the prison industry must defend and keep its old ways of thinking, at all costs. 

My guess is that it's reactionary citizens and legislators who, like the guy in the phone line, have misconceptions about prisoners serving long sentences. In my experience, it is these prisoners who have become, by and large, the system's model prisoners. Perhaps instead of vilifying us, the system (and society) could learn something from us who have had to confront our demons and have used the harms we've caused as motivators to change. 

I don't want people to fear me, whether it's in prison or out. Instead, I'd rather be seen as a part of society's solutions, not as an intractable part of its problems. That's a big part of what's motivated me to change. Perhaps the legislature could learn a little lesson from my experience and become a part of the solution, too.