HOUSING 18- TO 22-YEAR-OLD PRISONERS S.B. 945 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 945 (Substitute S-1 as reported)
Committee: Michigan Competitiveness
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Corrections Code to require the Department of Corrections (DOC) to do both of the following, unless specific circumstances prevented it from doing so:
-- Ensure that prisoners who were approximately 18 to 22 years old were housed only with other prisoners of the same approximate age range.
-- Ensure that prisoners in that approximate age range were housed in the same correctional facilities (facilities operated by the DOC, or by a private entity under contract with the DOC, that house prisoners under the Department's jurisdiction).
In addition, at a facility housing prisoners who were approximately 18 to 22, the DOC would have to provide programming designed for youth rehabilitation, to the extent that it was able to do so. The Department would have to consult with the administrators of the family courts and seek recommendations regarding the selection of programming.
The bill also would require the DOC to submit an annual report to the Senate and House committees responsible for legislation concerning corrections issues. The report would have to detail the extent to which the DOC had implemented the proposed housing requirements.
Proposed MCL 791.262d Legislative Analyst: Suzanne Lowe
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a negative fiscal impact on the State and no fiscal impact on local government. The Department of Corrections reports that approximately 3,200 prisoners in the 18- to 22-year-old age range are not currently housed in a facility designated for youths. The Department currently houses prisoners under the age of 18 at the Thumb Correctional Facility. The costs per prisoner at this facility are approximately 15% higher than at comparable adult facilities, primarily due to increased programming and supervision requirements. If it is assumed that also housing all 18- to 22-year-olds in a similar facility would result in the same cost variation, the provisions of the bill would cost approximately $17.5 million per year.
There could be additional costs due to reorganizing the prison population to accommodate housing these prisoners together. Also, the bill does not specify what programming would be required at these facilities, and if it were more intensive than what is currently offered at the Thumb Correctional Facility, costs would increase.
Any additional reporting requirements would be handled within current appropriations.
Date Completed: 6-2-16 Fiscal Analyst: Ryan Bergan
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.