Michigan’s Model for Cutting Crime, Closing Prisons and Curtailing Costs
Wednesday, May 22, 1:30 p.m., in the Joint Finance Hearing Room (412 East)
In March 2017, the Michigan Legislature passed and Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law a multi-bill criminal justice reform package that was the statutory culmination of several years of budgetary reforms and legislative oversight. The results were impressive:
The consolidation and closure of 20 correctional facilities1
A 25% reduction in prison population2
$1.2 billion in savings/avoided costs3
A 9% reduction in violent crime4
Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s prison population continues to grow, costs are on the rise and there’s talk of building a new prison.
Could Michigan’s reforms be a model for Wisconsin? Former Michigan State Sen. John Proos (R), a Marquette University graduate who helped shepherd the reform package through the Legislature, believes the answer is yes.
Proos, a Republican from St. Joseph and former chair of the legislative budget subcommittees overseeing corrections and the judiciary budgets, will describe the bipartisan reform measures Michigan adopted and the dramatic improvements that followed.
No RSVP required
