A cost cutting measure has one of the 5 prisons in Jackson scheduled to close by July 1 of this year. Approximately 1,500 prisoners would be released (if they have served their minimum sentence) and put on parole. 425 jobs will be affected with the majority offered jobs at other prisons, but layoffs are not being ruled out either.

Michigan’s prison population is one of the highest in the Midwest at 51,000 inmates. My question is this - does Michigan have much stricter laws than other states or a higher concentration of criminals?

Another question I have is how can the state undo what the courts have done? Judges and juries have had to make decisions that put these people in prison and now the state is negating that and paroling them.

Something is very wrong/strange with Michigan’s prison system. Our state’s population is steadily declining yet our prison population keeps rising.

Yet another aspect of our state that needs fixing.

Read the full article in the Detroit Free Press.