Michigan leaders in showdown over parole reform bill

Bill recently passed in House; what would Senate do?

PONTIAC, Mich. – A bill recently passed in the Michigan House would restrict the Parole Board's ability to extend a prisoner's incarceration beyond his or her minimum sentence.

Supporters say it could save between $30 million and $75 million a year within 5 to 10 years. That's the equivalent of closing two prisons.

View the bill (House Bill 4138) here.

However, opponents say this must be about more than money, that it could put dangerous offenders back on the street too soon -- a price that's too high.

"Prison is the very last resort and the people who are in prison who are non-violent offenders are not the 2nd or the 3rd offenders, they're the 4th, the 5th, the 6th and the 7th offenders," said Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper.

View: Oakland County prosecutor's "fact check" of House fiscal agency report

Currently, parole boards release offenders after their minimum sentence is served if there is a low risk of re-offending and if they don't pose a public safety risk. They can keep them incarcerated for "substantial and compelling reasons."

The new bill would limit the board's discretion for future prisoners and presume those eligible for parole are safe bets.

"It's certainly not going to blow open the flood gates here. It's really common-sense legislation," said Rep. Kurt Heise (R-Plymouth Township).

It's estimated only 3,200 prisoners out of the state of Michigan's 50,000 would even qualify.

"These are people who have gone through the system. They've been rated. Basically they've been model prisoners and they're ready to be released," said Heise.

Cooper is not convinced.

"That control is almost immediate release and we don't know what kind of factors that they're using for that, and I think you're gonna have a lot of chaos," said Cooper.

Supporters stress that if offenders serve their maximum sentence they are released beyond the control of the Parole Board and won't get important support, services and controls that would make success outside the prison walls more likely.

Attorney General Bill Schuette and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan oppose the bill. Gov. Rick Snyder supports it, as does the NAACP and the Michigan House.

It will be a battle if this heads to the Senate.