We've got good news to share from the Capitol. On Wednesday, September 22, lawmakers adopted the fiscal 2011 budget for the Michigan Department of Corrections -- and once again shown strong support for the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative.

 

The budget is lean, as everyone anticipated given the state's financial stresses. It will require more belt-tightening, and possibly more prison closures.

But there is broad recognition that the MPRI is a key part of the solution to protecting public safety and preserving taxpayer dollars. The $54.7 million allocated for the MPRI matches the recommendation of Governor Jennifer M. Granholm.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith and Sen. Alan Cropsey, the leaders of the House and Senate subcommittees on corrections, deserve praise for working out a budget in tough times that will allow the MPRI to continue to grow and improve.

To read more about the Michigan Department of Corrections budget, click here. To see a copy of the conference committee report (the final bill passed by the Legislature) click here. To read a House Fiscal Agency summary of the bill, click here.

Let us know if you have any questions about the new budget.

Jeff Padden and Paul Elam

Public Policy Associates, Inc.