Examining prison costs in Michigan

This story from the Detroit News, headlined "Prison costs on agenda: Experts to discuss reforms to help state handle Corrections spending," highlights why Michigan and so many other states have to think seriously about prison costs (even if courts aren't supposed to give these issues any thought).  Here are snippets:

Policymakers say continued growth of Michigan's sprawling, $2-billion-a-year prison system is unsustainable when the state is struggling to pay for such priorities as education, health care and police.  Some of the top thinkers regarding Corrections strategies are convening in the capital today to discuss reforms that could help the state get a handle on prison spending without compromising public safety....

The conference comes on the heels of a Detroit News series that outlined the dramatic growth of the prison system and its impact on other government services. The two-part series, which ran April 14-15 found:

• The 50,200 inmates in Michigan prisons represent a four-fold increase in the number of prisoners over a quarter-century.
• It costs an average of $200 a year for each Michigan resident to support the prisons.
• The cost to house each inmate drains $31,325 annually from the state treasury.
• Michigan is one of four states that spend more on corrections than on higher education.
• One of every three state employees works in the Corrections Department, up from one in 10, 25 years ago.
• While prison costs soar, revenue sharing to local units of government has been slashed by $3 billion over the last six state budget years, resulting in 1,800 fewer police officers and 2,500 fewer firefighters.
• Without corrective action, the prison population will swell by another 12 percent and top 56,000 within five years.

"Our efforts to grow Michigan's economy and keep our state competitive are threatened by the rising costs in the Department of Corrections," Gov. Jennifer Granholm told The Detroit News for its series.