| MPRI eNews
June 2010: Corrections Budget at Critical Stage
Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Update |
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| Data Points |
Total MPRI Releases through 12/2009: 19,105
Expected number of returns: 8,602
Actual number of returns: 5,809
Improvement: 2,793
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.
Source: MDOC, June 2010 |
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| Welcome to the June 2010 MPRI eNews! | |
It's crunch time for Michigan lawmakers as they seek to finalize the state budget for fiscal year 2011. Once again the budget is tight. That makes it vital for MPRI supporters to reach out to senators and representatives and stress the importance of this investment in protecting their communities and saving taxpayer dollars.
There is plenty of positive news from across the state to share with lawmakers--read on in this month's eNews!
As always, we're eager to spread the word about the MPRI. Please send an e-mail to those who might have an interest in the MPRI eNews and suggest they check it out. Cut and paste this link into your e-mail, so they can subscribe: http://tinyurl.com/MPRI-Subscribe
We appreciate your help. And, as always, thank you for reading! Please send us your comments and suggestions.
Jeff Padden and Paul Elam
Public Policy Associates, Inc. |
| Controversy Surrounds Corrections Budget for FY-2011 |
 There are dramatic differences between Republican and Democratic legislators regarding the fate of the budget for the Department of Corrections, which includes the MPRI funding. A House-Senate Conference Committee will attempt to work out a compromise on the budget, which takes effect October 1, 2010. It is important that you express your views to the conference committee members and to your own legislators. The conferees are: Senators Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt), Roger Kahn, (R-Saginaw Twp.), and Liz Brater (D-Ann Arbor), and Representatives Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Township), Fred Durhal Jr. (D-Detroit), and John Proos IV (R-St. Joseph).
For contact information on the conferees, click here. To find your state senator, click here. To find your state representative, click here. To see a Department of Corrections summary of the House-passed budget, click here. For a copy of the budget bill and legislative analyses, click here. |
| USA Today Touts Police Officer's Role in MPRI Success |
 Mentors can be a key to helping returning prisoners succeed, and sometimes those mentors can be police officers, USA Today reported in a story highlighting the success of the MPRI. The story described "an unusual bargain" between Grand Rapids Police Lt. Ralph Mason and an armed robber coming up for parole. Lt. Mason would help him find a job if he stayed out of trouble. Both kept their part of the deal. "Four years into the Michigan experiment, known as the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative, the program is producing some promising results," the story reports. To see the full article, click here. |
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Web Site Offers Help Obtaining Identification Cards
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 One of the most vexing barriers returning prisoners face is obtaining state ID cards, which are often crucial in applying for jobs, places to live, or disability benefits. Now the new Michigan State ID Card Resource Center has been created to help individuals and organizations make the process easier. While it does not change the requirements for obtaining an ID, it does provide clear guidance on how to obtain one. The Web site was created with support from the Detroit Safe Communities Collaborative, which includes the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Skillman Foundation, the McGregor Fund, the Kresge Foundation, and the Hudson-Webber Foundation. You can check out the Web site at www.michid.org. |
Editorial: Lawmakers Should Strengthen Support to the MPRI
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The South Bend Tribune, which covers southwest Michigan, says Michigan can no longer afford policies that lock people up for long periods of time but don't make us any safer. In a thoughtful editorial, the Tribune makes the case that the Parole Board should determine when prisoners can be safely released. "Lawmakers would be smart also to strengthen their commitment to the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative that has shown early promise at much less cost than continuing incarceration," the Tribune said. To see the full editorial, click here. |
| Prisoner Panel Focuses on Breaking Cycle of Incarceration |
 Five prisoners at Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility near Ionia urged young people in Lansing to avoid the mistakes they made that cost them their freedom. The prisoners spoke via video linkup in an event called "Breaking the Cycle of Incarceration." It was sponsored by the Capital Area Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative, the Lansing Police Department, and Lansing Community College.
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| "Without MPRI, I Don't Know Where I'd Be" | The MPRI is going about making communities safer one parolee at a time. Brian Young is one such parolee. He described the support he has been getting recently at a community forum on MPRI at Kalamazoo Valley Community College.
Mr. Young is enrolled at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and, as a Kalamazoo Gazette story reports, "He has a job and he has hope."
To read the article click here. |
MPRI Participants Help Turn Parking Lot into Community Garden
|  The MPRI partnered with three other local groups to create a community garden in downtown Battle Creek.
The MPRI funded construction of the beds. MPRI participants filled them with 20 yards of soil and will maintain the garden along with the Battle Creek Downtown Partnership. To see the BattleCreekEnquirer.com article, click here.
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| Former Corrections Deputy Director Outlines "Lessons Learned in Michigan" |
 Dennis Schrantz, who was a chief architect of the MPRI as deputy director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, is now a senior policy analyst at the Northpointe Institute for Public Management, Inc. The center focuses on criminal justice issues. Mr. Schrantz recently outlined "What Works in Re-Entry," based on the experience of the MPRI. Among other things, he emphasized understanding the political context of the work, understanding re-entry in the context of the larger justice system, local ownership and involvement, and public education and outreach. To read Mr. Schrantz's article, click here. |
| Lenawee County Commissioners Learn Benefits of the MPRI | The number of parolees getting in trouble is declining even though the number of parolees is increasing, members of the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners learned recently.
Warren Wilson, a Department of Corrections manager for parole offices in a seven-county region, made a presentation to the Board's Human Services Committee. He pointed out that fewer offenders are returning to prison because they are given tools to succeed. "We build on their strengths and try to address their needs," he said.
To see the lensconnect.com article, click here.
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