Introduction
The overcrowding of prisons in Michigan State is a significant issue that needs to be addressed immediately. More people in Michigan State will spend their final years behind bars than at any other time in history (Kang-Brown et al. 2017). The imposition of life sentences is causing various complications across Michigan State, manifesting in various ways. The severity of the consequences that are meted out to those who commit crimes varies from one state to the next. Michigan State has adopted the “three strikes” policy, which stipulates that anyone convicted of three or more felonies must serve a sentence ranging from 25 years to life in prison, whether the felonies were committed in the same incident or separately is true. After the majority of Michigan State did away with the practice of capital punishment, life sentences without the possibility of parole became the new standard. According to the available data, there are currently a more significant number of people serving life sentences than at any other time in history. Even though we are against the death penalty, the fact that more people are receiving life sentences rather than death sentences is a significant contributor to the growing number of locked up.
Inmates in the Michigan Prison System
There are several causes for the growing prison population. Since the 1980s, United Michigan State has taken increasingly strict stances against violent crime. The government understood the need to take action to lessen violent crime in the 1980s. The data support the dramatic rise in the number of people incarcerated in federal and state prisons. At that time, there were about 196,000 prisoners in the United States. In 2010, there were 1,570,000 people incarcerated (Kang-Brown et al. 2017). The number of incarcerated people has dramatically increased, making it more difficult to meet their basic needs while maintaining well-funded, well-equipped, and well-managed prisons. Prisons’ operating and security costs rise directly to their steadily expanding populations. There will be a greater need to hire new employees and devote significant training to them. To maintain security and safety for inmates and staff, prisons must be designed and built to be larger or even new. Older facilities must be retrofitted or replaced as they become unsafe.
Many of today’s laws were created by whites in power when minorities lacked a voice or were beginning to have their rights protected. It could be argued that these harsh punishments were chosen without considering the requirements of the people and communities who would be impacted. Instead of investing in communities with high crime rates and low levels of social capital, the idea was to punish those who had committed crimes by putting them behind bars. Life sentences were given out, and the inmates were locked away to forget their transgressions instead of receiving rehabilitation and counseling. In Michigan, black men between the ages of 20 and 34 who lack a high school diploma are 68% more likely to be imprisoned or arrested for a crime. In 2010, there were 2,392,589 people behind bars or on parole. Of the 2,392,589 individuals listed, only 915,864 identified as African American; the remainder were White, Hispanic, Asian, and other people of color (Kang-Brown et al. 2017). The numbers given only included adults, which the demographics of the prison population must continue to be considered in any conversation about prison reform. It is significant in determining whether a person who has just turned 18 cannot be rehabilitated and integrated b. Instead of letting them die, there might be other ways to help the person hiding behind the prisoner. The demographics of the prison population must continue to be considered in any conversation about prison reform. One might wonder if someone who has just turned 18 has no chance of being rehabilitated and readmitted to society. Instead of simply discarding their life, perhaps there are ways to help the person hiding behind the prisoner.
Michigan state officials are attempting to enhance corrections by reducing the number of prisoners (Finlay et al. 7). The first step toward changing the penalties for breaking the law has been taken in this state. As a result, fewer people are being detained for crimes that do not pose a serious risk to society. Second, the elimination of mandatory minimum sentences has received a lot of support in the state of Michigan. This change gives courts more discretion to impose appropriate penalties for particular crimes. In place of a general life sentence, each case’s punishment can be customized to account for the specifics of the crime and any aggravating circumstances. The number of prisoners who have been released has increased due to the Michigan State efforts. When prisoners have served their sentences, they are released, freeing up physical and monetary resources and improving the management of prisons.
These organizations are also improving the parole issuance rates in Michigan. The state is not responsible for maintaining someone who is not incarcerated. In Michigan, the mandatory minimum prison term has also been decreased. It is related to the notion that prison populations will decline as sentences are served. Many states, including Michigan, implement initiatives to keep juveniles out of legal trouble (Nemser et al. 13). The likelihood that its members will succeed and flourish is higher the more diverse and plentiful the community resources are. Resources would be better used on community-based programs that give people a chance to succeed rather than locking them up while they are still young, malleable, and pliable. Michigan State is attempting to address the growing prison population by putting into place reforms that will assist prisoners in becoming contributing members of society while upholding public safety.
Conclusion
To sum up, an evaluation of the current correctional system is required in Michigan state. As the prison population has grown over the last few decades, the state’s prison system will soon be unable to safely house, feed, and secure its inmates. With population growth at this rate, our current infrastructure will quickly become insufficient, and we will not have the resources to continue building more. The costs of keeping prisons open are substantial. As they grow, they will require more assistance. A larger building footprint is needed, including system security upgrades. Michigan State has a problem with long-term deployments. The demographics of the people we are locking up for life in the state must be closely examined. There must be identified issues to address their underlying causes and then give those who have demonstrated their worth the opportunity to make amends and re-join society. It will help to enhance efforts to reverse criminal tendencies. While the current global stage has forced lawmakers’ hands to some extent, more needs to be done before the current system can no longer function, and Michigan State is making some headway in this direction.
Works Cited
Finlay, Keith, et al. “The Criminal Justice Administrative Records System: a next-generation research data platform.” Scientific Data 9.1 (2022): 1-11. Web.
Kang-Brown, Jacob, et al. The new dynamics of mass incarceration. New York: Vera Institute of Justice, 2018.
Nemser, Dan, et al. “From the factory to the warehouse A brief history of prison labor in Michigan.” The Brooklyn Rail (2019).” The Brooklyn Rail (2019).