Mike Bouchard, Republican candidate for Governor, is pointing to the recent news of the sixty-two paroled sex offenders who were re-incarcerated after being released into communities as one troubling example of the poor decisions coming from Lansing and the Granholm administration.
“A series of bad decisions and poor leadership over several years has gotten us here. How does Lansing and the Granholm administration plan to fix the budget problem they created? Empty out our prisons in an ill-advised desire to cut costs. Common-sense dictates that this is dangerous for our communities and families,” Bouchard said. “Risking public safety to ‘save money’ just doesn’t add up.”
Earlier this week, sixty-two prisoners were accidentally released due to “clerical” errors. It’s reported that the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) will also be forced to release up to 3,500 more prisoners through early release by October of this year.
Recently, Judge Daniel Ryan, of the 3rd Circuit Court, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee criticizing the program and suggesting his docket is “exploding” with new cases – “many due to recidivism”.
“We can’t turn a blind eye to these troubling public safety concerns. Releasing prisoners early should not be an option; in fact, it’s probably the worst thing we can do under our current economic crisis. It won’t save money in the end. We need new leadership willing to make the tough choices that won’t allow us to fall into these situations again,” Bouchard concluded.
