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A proposal in Lansing to ease certain parole policies for Michigan prison inmates has received a major boost from a new statewide poll.
The survey, commissioned by the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, shows 64 percent of Michiganders supporting presumptive parole legislation, which passed the Michigan House Thursday.
Current policy has inmates in prison for their maximum sentence instead of the minimum, including those that are no longer considered a danger to society.
A proposal in Lansing presumes release after the minimum is served, unless there’s reason to believe they’re a risk to society.
CAPPS researcher Barb Levine says keeping so many low risk inmates in prison for years past their minimum has become costly to Michigan’s prison budget, which is about $2 billion per year.
The survey was conducted by Target Insyght.
