Daniel Heyns News Today

The state Department of Corrections will cut back on patrols outside its prison walls and change the job classifications of some corrections officers next month to save an estimated $25 million a year. But the head of the union representing the nearly 8,000 corrections officers complained those moves could make the prisons less safe, while acknowledging there is little the union can do to prevent them.

By Daniel Heyns/Michigan Department of Corrections I know for the past several years the Center for Michigan has been an active participant in the dialogue surrounding lowering corrections costs in Michigan. The Center facilitated the creation of the Corrections Reform Coalition -- a collection of business, education, local government and nonprofit groups focused on enhancing operations and containing costs within the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Since 1980, Michigan’s biggest growth industry has been its prison system. It is a dubious distinction, as the state devotes a bigger share of its general fund budget to prisons than any other state. With annual spending of about $2 billion, Michigan pumps more money into corrections than higher education. And the state keeps its prisoners behind bars longer than the national average. Conservatives and liberals alike are now saying it is a price Michigan can no longer afford. While opposition...