A new study by the Pew Center on the States has found that 1 in 27 Michigan residents are in the corrections system, either in prison, on parole, or on probation.
The findings were released as part of a new report on the United States corrections system. The report finds that nationally, 7.3 million people–or 1 in 31 adults–is in the corrections system. Moreover, major racial disparities remain:
“Correctional control rates are highly concentrated by race and geography: 1 in 11 black adults (9.2 percent) versus 1 in 27 Hispanic adults (3.7 percent) and 1 in 45 white adults (2.2 percent); 1 in 18 men (5.5 percent) versus 1 in 89 women (1.1 percent). The rates can be extremely high in certain neighborhoods. In one block-group of Detroit’s East Side, for example, 1 in 7 adult men (14.3 percent) is under correctional control.”
More on Michigan’s Corrections System
Along with the study, fact sheets were released profiling each state. The Michigan fact sheet reports that Michigan has the 13th highest ratio of residents in Michigan. The ratio has grown significantly since 1982, when 1 in 110 Michigan adults were in the corrections system.
Prison spending in Michigan has grown from $1.1 billion in 1998 to $1.7 billion today. The daily cost per prisoner has also risen from $64.82 to $89.91. Corrections spending accounts for $2.18 billion–or 22%–of Michigan’s budget.
Spending Focuses on Prison
The report shows that while much of corrections spending focuses on prisons, people return to prison at a lower rate if they go through community supervision programs:
“Research shows that strong community supervision programs for lower-risk, non-violent offenders not only cost significantly less than incarceration but, when appropriately resourced and managed, can cut recidivism by as much as 30 percent. Diverting these offenders to community supervision programs also frees up prison beds needed to house violent offenders, and can offer budget makers additional resources for other pressing public priorities.”
Like many states, the majority of Michigan’s correctional spending is on prisons. For every dollar it spends on prison, it spends just 10 cents on probation and parole.
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