Post by CC on Nov 18, 2009 16:00:29 GMT -5
Corrections office must embrace transparency
This year, the Michigan Department of Corrections, through an accelerated parole process, has released thousands of convicted felons, many of whom have committed violent felonies. Prosecutors from across this state are concerned with the risk to public safety in light of the new accelerated release policy. This major shift in policy, which is more about the the Corrections Department's bottom line than public safety, has been implemented without an inclusive reasoned debate. Of all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system, most noticeably absent from this debate are victims and our fellow citizens.
Transparency on the part of the Corrections Department is core to the public safety debate of corrections policy. Accelerated releases are coming at what cost to the public? Michigan has the highest rate of violent crime in the Midwest and one of the highest in the United States, with the fewest police officers per capita of any Great Lakes state. The question that remains unanswered by the Corrections Department is "how will an accelerated parole process reduce the highest violent crime rate in the Midwest or put more police officers on the street?"
This year, the Michigan Department of Corrections, through an accelerated parole process, has released thousands of convicted felons, many of whom have committed violent felonies. Prosecutors from across this state are concerned with the risk to public safety in light of the new accelerated release policy. This major shift in policy, which is more about the the Corrections Department's bottom line than public safety, has been implemented without an inclusive reasoned debate. Of all the stakeholders in the criminal justice system, most noticeably absent from this debate are victims and our fellow citizens.
Transparency on the part of the Corrections Department is core to the public safety debate of corrections policy. Accelerated releases are coming at what cost to the public? Michigan has the highest rate of violent crime in the Midwest and one of the highest in the United States, with the fewest police officers per capita of any Great Lakes state. The question that remains unanswered by the Corrections Department is "how will an accelerated parole process reduce the highest violent crime rate in the Midwest or put more police officers on the street?"