The New York Times published an article on June 16th covering the rise in coronavirus cases in prisons even while the rate of infection in the US population has generally flattened. The article notes: The number of prison inmates known to be infected has doubled during the past month to more than 68,000. Prison deaths tied to the coronavirus have also risen, by 73 percent since mid-May.
The Detroit Free Press reported on June 9 that Michigan's prison population dropped 5.2% over three months during the pandemic. Department officials say this is probably the fastest drop in state history. The prison population was just under 36,000, Michigan Department of Corrections legislative liaison Kyle Kaminski told the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections. That [...]
A Detroit Free Press article published on June 5th highlights a published study and report from the Vera Institute of Justice that reviews Wayne County's jails. The study looked at those who were in prison and why they were in prison. The report made recommendations on how to reduce the jail population after the pandemic. [...]
The Detroit News reports on efforts by Wayne County to incorporate recent jail reforms made due to COVID-19 into regular practice in an article posted June 2nd. The population of the Wayne County Jail has fallen by 40%. There are now more people on tether supervision than behind bars. Wayne County worked with the Vera [...]
MLive reported on May 22, 2020 that the State of Michigan has tested all prisoners in state correction facilities in less than 15 days for COVID-19. This testing covered 38,227 people in 29 facilities. This mass testing, aided by the Michigan National Guard, has allowed Michigan to get a better handle on COVID-19 inside its [...]
The Annie E. Casey Foundation surveyed prison populations and found that the youth detention population fell 24% in one month. They note: The percentage reduction in youth detention across these jurisdictions in one month was as large as the national decline over a recent seven-year period (from 2010 to 2017). The findings highlight the rapid [...]
The Detroit Free Press published an opinion article highlighting the shifts in how jails are used (or misused) and how the Michigan Jails Task Force findings provide a roadmap on how to improve Michigan's correction system. The article also points out how the Michigan Jails Task Force findings are extremely relevant in helping to protect [...]
mLive reported on April 16th, 2020 that a small group of protesters, organized by prison-reform group Nation Outside, drove outside the Capitol Building in Lansing to urge Governor Whitmer to implement a series of measures to protect staff and prisoners facing the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in state prisons. mLive noted: Demonstrators called on the [...]
On April 14th, The Detroit News reported that "Activists have organized #LetMiPeopleGo, a Twitter campaign through 3 p.m., to urge Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and corrections officials to speed release of prison inmates during the coronavirus outbreak." Activists are concerned that under the current pandemic, a prison sentence can become a death sentence. They encourage officials [...]
Fox 2 Detroit news on Thursday April 9th reported that: "Many felons who have been released on parole but required to wear a tether were ordered to remove the tether due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Michigan, only to have that order revoked less than a day later. According to a memo issued Tuesday [...]
