| MPRI eNews
July-September 2010: New Budget Coming Down to the Wire
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 July-September 2010 MPRI eNews! | |
Once again, the clock is ticking. The new fiscal year is fast upon us. The budget situation, at this critical time in the legislative process, remains tight, so it is vital to reach out to state lawmakers and tell them your thoughts about the MPRI.
The Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative is built on research and real-life experience, so it's very satisfying when both continue to show we have a smart strategy for protecting the public by helping parolees succeed. New research out of Harvard University shows ex-offenders in New York and Philadelphia are far less likely to return to prison after completing a re-entry program. Closer to home, we're happy to share just some of the Michigan success, in Jackson, Monroe, and Battle Creek.
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. |
| Down to the Wire Again for MDOC Budget |  Fiscal year 2011 begins October 1, and a House-Senate conference committee will try to work out important differences in the House and Senate versions of the budget for the Michigan Department of Corrections.
The big difference for MPRI is that the Senate splits the MPRI funding into several categories, which gives the Department less flexibility to make internal adjustments to reflect changing needs. The eNews interviewed Barry L. Wickman to find out what it means. To read the story, click here.
For contact information on the conferees, click here. To find your state senator, click here. To find your state representative, click here. For a copy of the budget bill and legislative analyses, click here. For the Senate Fiscal Agency Detailed Decision Document, click here. |
Transitional Work/Training Program Cuts Recidivism
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 Parolees who complete a transitional work and training program in New York and Philadelphia are 60 percent less likely to be convicted of a felony within three years of their release, according to a new study. Harvard University criminal justice expert Dr. Bruce Western studied the success of graduates of The Doe Fund's Ready, Willing and Able program. The study also found that participants were 56 percent less likely to be convicted of a violent crime within three years. To see a press release on the study, click here. |
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| Department of Corrections Providing More Parole Information to Prosecutors | The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) has begun giving additional parole information to county prosecutors, but some county prosecutors say the information is insufficient for them to challenge parole decisions.
Under an agreement with the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, MDOC is sending parole information by county to the association every two weeks to pass on to county prosecutors. MDOC spokesman Russell Marlan said additional information, including the scheduled date of parole hearings, will be provided in the second phase of the plan, but because the Department's IT staff is already overworked, it is not known when the information will be compiled. For a Gongwer News Service report on the issue, click here. |
| MPRI Provides Help, Hope, Parolees and Relatives Say in Monroe County |
 Michigan Department of Corrections Director Patricia Caruso continues to get positive feedback during her visits to MPRI sites across the state. The Monroe Evening News reported that one returning prisoner said, if it weren't for the MPRI, "I would be lost, basically." The mother of an inmate said after listening to the director, "What you just said added 10 years to my life." To read the Monroe Evening News story, click here.
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Faith-Based Organizations Help Returning Prisoners Succeed in Jackson
| Faith-based organizations often play a vital part in parolees' successful transition to their communities, providing mentors and other support.
The Jackson Citizen Patriot recently profiled the efforts of Trinity Wesleyan Church in Jackson. "The faith-based community provides all kinds of mentoring, emotional support, and direction based on a common faith," MPRI community coordinator Lesia Pikaart told the Citizen Patriot.
To see the full article, click here.
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| Washtenaw County 'Bans the Box' to Create Opportunities for Returning Prisoners |
 The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has made it a little bit easier for returning prisoners to find jobs by eliminating the so-called "felony box" on county government job applications. The commissioners agreed to make the change after hearing from a variety of supporters, including Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley Development Director Theresa Finney Dumais. She said Habitat for Humanity has an excellent partnership with the MPRI and that MPRI workers tend to have above-average skills and are very dependable. To see an Ann Arbor Chronicle article on the decision, click here. |
MPRI Creates Win-Win for Employers, Parolees
| For parolees, finding a job is a critical step on the path to transitioning successfully to their communities and becoming law-abiding citizens. The MPRI has been tailored to create opportunities for parolees as well as incentives and protection for employers.
The MDOC's August 19 FYI newsletter describes how the MPRI is helping parolees satisfy employers in Jackson, Monroe, Lenawee, and Hillsdale Counties. In some cases, the MPRI is able to provide a "tryout" period for MPRI participants, enabling employers to assess the employee's skills and job fit at a fraction of the cost before making a permanent hiring decision.
To see the FYI newsletter, click here.
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Testimony at U.S. Senate Hearing Touts the MPRI
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 Le'Ann Duran, former manager of Michigan's Office of Offender ReEntry, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee recently on the importance of the Second Chance Act in protecting the public and using resources more efficiently. Ms. Duran is now the director of the National Reentry Resource Center, a project of the Council of State Governments. In her testimony, she cited the success of the MPRI in reducing recidivism and the role of the Second Chance Act is supporting re-entry efforts around the country. To read Ms. Duran's testimony, click here. To see a video presentation by Ms. Duran at the Making Second Chances Work conference in Washington, D.C., click here. |
A.G. Says Re-entry Programs Safeguard Neighborhoods
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 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says the Justice Department is updating its violent crime strategy to focus on three key areas: enforcement, prevention, and re-entry. "Effective re-entry programs provide our best chance for safeguarding our neighborhoods and supporting people who have served their time and are also resolved to improve their lives," the attorney general said. He spoke at the Project Safe Neighborhoods annual conference. To read the text of the speech, click here. |
National Institute of Corrections Web Site Offers Vast Resources
| If you're looking for practical information about re-entry efforts across the country, check out the electronic library of the National Institute of Corrections.
The Institute has nearly 500 documents listed under "Offender Integration." It includes such things as a case management handbook, studies of programs, and a database of re-entry efforts across the country.
To go to the Web site, click here.
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| Free Press Columnist Chides Those Who Mislead with "Early Release" Claims |  Opponents of the MPRI far too often turn to the bogus "early release" claim to misrepresent what the Initiative is all about.
Detroit Free Press columnist Jeff Gerritt takes them to task and very clearly explains that the state doesn't have an early release program and that those who want to debate parole policy have a responsibility to do it honestly.
"Paroling people who have done their time does not constitute an early release. Let's have a straight-up debate on the issue and lose the loaded language and hype," he writes.
Amen. For Mr. Gerritt's succinct explanation of why Michigan's parole policies are in no way, shape or form early release, click here. To see his full column, click here.
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