Rep. Mueller: Bipartisan jail reform initiative now underway

State Rep. Mike Mueller on Wednesday took part in the first meeting of a special panel tasked with expanding alternatives to jail, safely reducing jail admissions and length of stay, and improving the front-end effectiveness of Michigan’s criminal justice system.

Mueller, a retired sheriff’s deputy, said he is looking forward to examining jail and court data and hearing from people all across Michigan as the Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration holds public meetings throughout the remainder of the year.

“My experience in law enforcement helped me understand the status quo isn’t working,” said Mueller, of Linden. “It’s time to closely examine the inner workings of our justice system and look for new ideas to make the system fair and effective for everyone.”

National sources s­how Michigan jail populations have nearly tripled in the last 35 years, growing regardless of whether crime was going up or down. With crime now at a 50-year low, hundreds of thousands of people are still admitted to Michigan jails every year, and they are staying in jail longer, on average, than before.

“Our jails are full of people with mental health and substance abuse issues,” Mueller said. “Most of these folks don’t pose any threat to public safety. They simply can’t afford to pay bail. We end up creating a vicious cycle where people lose their jobs, fall behind on bills and can’t support their families.”

The Michigan House of Representatives has made criminal justice reform a priority in recent years, including innovative solutions like drug and veterans’ treatment courts, smart sentencing updates, and, most recently, civil asset forfeiture reform. In order to continue those efforts, Pew Charitable Trusts began working with the Speaker of the House last fall to look at significant areas of need and build a proposal for a joint task force that will bring new staff and resources into Michigan to collect and analyze data from local communities across the state.

The task force is comprised of 21 members from the executive, judicial and legislative branches and community leaders and law enforcement officials from across the state. Information about future meetings of the task force is available here.

Anyone with questions or ideas regarding the task force or any other state issues may contact Rep. Mueller’s office by calling (517) 373-1780 or emailing MikeMueller@house.mi.gov.