LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a 20-bill bi-partisan package Monday, easing penalties such as traffic offenses, and cutting down jail time and parole for some people, including children.
One of the legislation being Senate Bill 700 to reduce the amount of time judges can hold children in custody for truancy, disobeying their parents and running away.
“Those are three offenses that we wanted to make sure we got away from -- a structure of locking children up, and instead providing them with wraparound services to make sure that they’re getting the support for the underlying issue that is at hand,” said Michgan Sen. Sylvia Santana.
READ: Whitmer signs bills to shift away from jail time for traffic offenses
Santana sponsored three of the bills, which got Michigan’s laws more in line with the federal statutes.
“That’s an age where they’re exercising some of their independence, so you do have young people who might mouth off to their parents, or young people who skip school. I was one of those waiver youth at one point, so I understand why this legislation is important,” Santana said.
“Locking kids or juveniles up with adults in the corrections facility obviously prove that they became a better criminal because they were around adults in a prison system when they were still adolescents themselves or juveniles.”
Michigan governor signs bills to limit incarcerations
Legislation that allows for alternatives to jail and aims to limit recidivism in Michigan were among the dozens of new laws Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed Monday.
Among the measures were 20 based on the recommendations of the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration formed in 2019. The task force heard testimony from hundreds of people and reviewed 10 years of statewide arrest and court data after the state’s incarcerated population nearly tripled over four decades.
The “Smart Justice” package eliminates mandatory minimum sentences in certain cases such as a person’s first time failing to appear in court. Law enforcement also will be allowed to use discretion to issue a citation and release a suspect from custody for most misdemeanors.