LANSING, Mich. — Three state prisons will be shut down in coming months and their inmates released or moved elsewhere to save money as Michigan grapples with a budget deficit, officials said Friday.
The sweeping announcement by Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s administration also affects the state’s five minimum-security prison camps. It drew immediate criticism from the state correction officers union, which warned that public safety would be compromised.
The eight prisons cost $118 million to run and hold about 4,600 inmates.
Tax revenues are continuing to slide in a state hit hard by the recession and the auto industry’s problems. Michigan is facing a budget shortfall of at least $1.7 billion in the next fiscal year.
The moves come as Michigan is already reducing its prison population, which had peaked at a record of more than 51,000 in December 2006.
It’s now down to fewer than 48,000, thanks to more paroles and commutations, a drop in felony convictions and an expanded program to keep parolees from committing new crimes.
Granholm wants to reduce the head count to fewer than 45,000 by Oct. 1, the start of the next budget year. She recently expanded the parole board so it can focus on releasing more inmates who have served their minimum sentences.
“Thousands of prisoners are being let out. … I think the public better lock their doors,” said Mel Grieshaber, executive director of the Michigan Corrections Organization.
More than 1,000 corrections employees will be affected by the cuts. Some will be able to fill vacancies at other prisons, officials said, but layoffs are likely.
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