| MPRI eNews
Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Update May 2009: First Anniversary Edition | |
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| Data Points |
Total MPRI Releases through 2/2009: 16,223
Expected number of returns: 5,014
Actual number of returns: 3,532
Improvement: 1,482
Note: While these results for MPRI parolees are precisely what was hoped for, it is still too early to say that MPRI activities alone caused the changes. For much more information, click here. |
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| Welcome to the May 2009 MPRI eNews! |
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With this edition, the MPRI eNews begins its second year. To commemorate the anniversary, we've compiled "greatest hits" from the first 12 issues. In the first article below, you'll be able to click on the most popular links from the past year.
Thanks to several who pointed out that we had a broken link in the April edition. That link should have led to a first-hand account of how the MPRI affects day-to-day life for a prison employee as she uses collaborative case management on the job. We've reprinted it in this edition, with a working link.
Several readers responded to my request to invite their networks of contacts to subscribe to the MPRI eNews. Thanks to each of you! For others who are able to help in this way, please send an e-mail to your list of colleagues, friends, or family who might have an interest in the MPRI and tell them why this information is important. Then, suggest that they subscribe by going to this link (You can just cut and paste it into your e-mail):
Thanks for your help. And, as always, we thank you for reading! Please send us your comments and suggestions.
Jeff Padden and Paul Elam
Public Policy Associates, Inc. |
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Greatest Hits of the MPRI eNews |
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Over the first year, the seven links below have been some of the most popular. We thought you might like to see them again, even though some are a bit dated. Enjoy clicking them again!
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Collaborative Case Management in Practice |
(NOTE: This is a reprint of last month's attempt that included a broken link. Our apologies to the author, Tammy Gajewski.)
Collaborative Case Management is a new way of dealing with those in prison and returning to the community. In theory, it ensures that the right services are delivered across disciplines and that service providers engage with their customers in a constructive fashion. For a candid, enlightening account of how it looks from the point of view of an Assistant Resident Unit Supervisor in a Michigan Prison, click here. |
| House Passes MPRI Budget |
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On April 2, the Michigan House of Representatives passed the Fiscal Year 2009-10 budget, which contained $56.6 million for the MPRI. This represents an increase of more that $23 million over the budget for the current year. The Senate must now act on the budget before it can become law.
To see the budget bill as passed by the House, click here. |
| Civic Justice Corps Proposed for Michigan Cities |
The Civic Justice Corps (CJC) is part of a Corps movement that has its roots in the Civilian Conservation Corps founded by President Franklin Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Nationally, CJCs operate in 17 cities.
Now, the Michigan Department of Corrections is seeking $10 million from the U.S. Department of Justice to bring this model first to Detroit and then to Saginaw, Grand Rapids, and Benton Harbor. In Detroit, the plan is to employ 400 parolees and probationers in green community projects. The plan includes four key elements:
1. Focus on high-crime neighborhoods to reduce crime rates.
2. Create social enterprises that can offer sustained employment.
3. Use collaborative case management to coach offenders toward crime-free living.
4. Collaborate with law enforcement to solve crimes and provide prosocial activities.
To see an draft concept paper that outlines this approach, click here. |
| Can We Put More Returning Prisoners to Work? |
On May 27, 2009, the American Enterprise Institute sponsored a conference in Washington, D.C. called "Can We Put Poor Men to Work?," and the MPRI was prominently featured. Organized by Professor Lawrence Mead, the conference cited the MPRI's focus on helping returning prisoners prepare for and succeed at work both in Dr. Mead's comments and in a presentation by Jeff Padden. Attendees included policy makers from federal agencies, congressional staffers, and policy researchers.
The conference, which was broadcast live by C-SPAN, was a followup to Dr. Mead's research visit to Michigan in March. We published a report on that visit in the March MPRI eNews. To see it, click here.
For a conference agenda or copies of the presentations, click here. (These will be available after June 1, 2009.)
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| Free Press Examines the MPRI |
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The Detroit Free Press has run a two-part series of articles that look at the effects to date of the MPRI. While the articles make it clear that some MPRI parolees fail, it points out that of the 318 MPRI parolees released in December 2008, only 29 are known to have failed. The articles tell stories of both the successes and failures of prisoners released through the MPRI.
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| Prison Creative Arts Project Shows Works |
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| Detroit News Pushes Prison Cost Cuts |
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The Detroit News says that Michigan spends far too much on prisons. In a May 8, 2009 editorial, the paper looked at cuts proposed by Governor Jennifer Granholm, the Pew Center on the States/Council of State Governments, Senate Republicans and House Democrats, and the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. Its conclusion: "...all of the above."
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| The MPRI Model: An overview of the basics |
| As the MPRI evolves, it is easy to focus on the day-to-day challenges of implementation. It's important, though, to remember what the MPRI is really all about. For a quick refresher on what it is, why it matters, and how it works, click here.
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| Jackson Bike Program Links to the MPRI |
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Through the Community Bike Program in Jackson, returning prisoners benefit by getting an efficient means of transportation and they contribute to the community. According to the Jackson Citizen Patriot, the Fitness Council of Jackson, which sponsors the program, received 60 bicycles in its drive last month. Volunteers, including prisoners, repair the bikes, and those who need them receive them free of charge.
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