Michigan bill would restore people in prison with ability to earn time off sentence for good behavior

A bill has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives that would restore the ability for people in prison to earn time off their sentences with good behavior.

On Thursday (Dec. 7), House Bill 6567-6568 was introduced on behalf of the Michigan Justice Advocacy (MJA). It would bring a “good time” credit system back to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Currently, incarcerated people in Michigan state prisons are required to serve their minimum sentence and cannot earn credits for good behavior unless the crime was committed before 1987.

What are known as “good time” laws allow days to be subtracted from an incarcerated person’s sentence for good behavior. Michigan’s Truth in Sentencing law was established in 1998 and eliminated good time credits. The newer law requires incarcerated people to serve their entire minimum sentence before being considered for parole.

Read more: Michigan ballot initiative hopes to restore prisoners’ ability to earn time off sentence with good behavior

According to the Michigan Justice Advocacy, Michigan is No. 1 in the country for the length of time served and consistently outspends other states on corrections.

The Michigan Justice Advocacy has a town hall meeting scheduled for Sunday (Dec. 11) at 2 p.m. Click here to join the Zoom.

House Bill 6567 (2022)

House Bill 6568 (2022)

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