Name: 'Purpose of jail has gotten muddled': Michigan lawmakers propose changes to justice system
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'Purpose of jail has gotten muddled': Michigan lawmakers propose changes to justice system

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Detroit Free Press Eric Stewart knew he had traffic tickets and that he could not pay them.&nbsp;But he did not learn his driver's license&nbsp;was suspended for failing to pay those tickets until an officer pulled him over.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stewart lost his license in 2012. Over the years, he would miss out on seeing family and friends, and could not hold down steady employment. He was always afraid to drive anywhere&nbsp;for fear he would be jailed.&nbsp;He did not get his license reinstated until November, thanks to the help of Geoff Leonard, an attorney with the Detroit Justice Center.&nbsp;"Finally getting my license back clear, after seven&nbsp;years, I&nbsp;felt like it was a big relief… I’m able to be successful in the world," said Stewart, now 30.&nbsp;"I&nbsp;wasn’t out here drinking and driving. Granted, I was behind the wheel. But I lost two jobs because of it, this year. And it’s all from tickets."&nbsp;Stewart is not alone&nbsp;—&nbsp;every year, hundreds of thousands of Michigan residents lose their driver's licenses due to low-level offenses or not being able to pay tickets, court fines or&nbsp;fees.&nbsp;However, removing&nbsp;hurdles that prevents someone's legal ability to drive is&nbsp;part of a series of changes aimed at preventing more people from entering the criminal justice system,&nbsp;a bipartisan group of state lawmakers announced Wednesday.&nbsp;“When people are calling for systemic change in police accountability and law enforcement practices, understand that these bills constitute huge progress toward that systemic change," said Rep. Tenisha Yancey, a Detroit Democrat and former Wayne County prosecutor.&nbsp;"Decriminalizing minor infractions, eliminating mandatory minimum jail times and stopping driver’s license suspensions for hundreds of thousands of safe drivers every year will significantly reduce how many people interact with the police and get arrested."&nbsp;More:More:From 2017:Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake,&nbsp;and House Speaker Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, joined their Democratic counterparts in championing the&nbsp;measures,&nbsp;signaling strong chances for passage in both chambers later this year.&nbsp;Led by state Sen. Sylvia Santana, D-Detroit, the group&nbsp;announced the&nbsp;legislation that they believe will&nbsp;shrink ballooning jail populations and keep people safe. Senators plan to introduce six bills this week, after House members introduced 13 related bills in June.&nbsp;Specifically, the&nbsp;bills would:&nbsp;The legislative package&nbsp;comes&nbsp;in response to by the Michigan&nbsp;Joint&nbsp;Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration. The recommendations have already spurred some changes, including similar legislation introduced in the House in June.&nbsp;"In Michigan, the purpose of jail has gotten a bit muddled," said Rep. Bronna Kahle, an Adrian Republican&nbsp;who's sponsored some of the reform legislation in the House.&nbsp;"Jail is good for removing a dangerous person from society while the courts handle the case. But people also go to jail in huge numbers ... for low-level, nonviolent offenses, for technical violations on their probation rules or simply missing a court date. That’s not what jail is for."&nbsp;More:More:John Cooper, executive director of the criminal justice reform organization Safe &amp; Just Michigan, said the proposals are encouraging.&nbsp;In theory, laws that suspended or revoked driver's licenses for failure to pay fines and fees were intended to increase collections for local municipalities through a tangible enforcement system. In practice, millions of people in the U.S. are barred from legally driving because they could not afford to pay the fines and fees. In 2018 alone, more than 350,000 Michigan drivers lost a license because they did not appear in court or pay a fine or fee.&nbsp;"If we’re penalizing poverty rather than unsafe driving, that isn’t sending the right message in our criminal justice system, and it isn’t the right use of our law enforcement resources," Cooper said.&nbsp;Despite Michigan experiencing the lowest crime rates in a half century, the state task force determined jail populations continue to rise. Many&nbsp;of the people in local jails have not been convicted of a crime. Those who have been convicted are typically serving time for low-level offenses, not heinous crimes that generally result in lengthy prison sentences.&nbsp;Cooper echoed findings of the recommendations that found law enforcement officers prefer to avoid the time and effort required to arrest and jail someone on a low-level offense.&nbsp;"The most effective public safety investments are the ones that prevent crime from happening in the first place," Cooper said.&nbsp;The legislation does not address each of the task force recommendations. Santana said she hopes lawmakers will be able to take up more of the suggestions during the legislative session next year.&nbsp;Contact Dave Boucher at dboucher@freepress.com or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter .

Detroit Free Press Eric Stewart knew he had traffic tickets and that he could not pay them.&nbsp;But he did not learn his driver's license&nbsp;was suspended for failing to pay those tickets until an officer pulled him over.&nbsp;&nbsp;Stewart lost his license in 2012. Over the years, he would miss out on seeing family and friends, and could not hold down steady employment. He was always afraid to drive anywhere&nbsp;for fear he would be jailed.&nbsp;He did not get his license reinstated until November, thanks to the help of Geoff Leonard, an attorney with the Detroit Justice...

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Dave Boucher

The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.  The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes USA Today. The Free Press has received ten Pulitzer Prizes and four Emmy Awards. Its motto is "On Guard for 189 Years".

'Purpose of jail has gotten muddled': Michigan lawmakers propose changes to justice system

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