Nearly every inmate currently incarcerated in the Michigan state prison system will eventually be released. Whether they are released at their maximum sentence date or paroled, they will be on the streets again. Preparing inmates for their release attempts to reduce recidivism and also quell the fears of the public.

Probation and parole are both considered community supervision, programs that allow people convicted of a crime to serve all or part of their sentence while free in the community. Both of these systems use supervision by state employed officers to ensure that the convicted people stay within certain guidelines of their release. [Read more…]

Abandoned buildings often are the scenes of property crimes. Vandalism, thefts, and willful and malicious destruction of property offenses are often committed on empty homes and buildings. The now empty Camp Brighton prison outside of Hamburg Township has become a sight for sore eyes as it slowly gets destroyed by vandals.

According to the Livingston Community News it has been almost two years since the institution locked its doors as a woman’s correctional facility and the state has abandoned any attempts at maintenance since that time.

It doesn’t seem that the offenses being committed on this property are of anyone’s concern. At least not of anyone’s concern who has the power to do anything. From stolen copper pipes to busted-out windows, the things being done to this former institution are crimes but overlooked. [Read more…]

Evidence From Thousands of Cases With Potential Mistakes

What do you get when you put an already overloaded crime lab with less than perfect training and possibly poor supervision? Many, many cases that must be reexamined. According to this article from the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit crime lab was shut down in September of 2008 after an audit found that 10% of ballistic evidence was handled in error. Now those cases are being funneled through the Michigan State Police and the backlog is growing and growing.

This could mean new trials for some inmates locked away in Michigan prisons or probationers serving sentences on the streets.  So far, Wayne County Attorney Kym Worthy has identified 147 cases that need to be looked at for potential evidentiary mistakes. Most noteworthy is that these 147 cases are just the beginning.

Thousands and thousands of cases filter through various crime labs in Michigan every year. Each case should be handled with the upmost care, processing evidence carefully and precisely. The freedom of many rests in how the crime lab workers handle their responsibilities. When a crime lab runs a margin of error as large as 10%, it is very frightening and should be immediately addressed. [Read more…]

Beginning in July, every person convicted of a serious or violent crime in the state of Michigan will be required to submit to DNA testing. The hope is that a comprehensive database of violent offenders will perhaps clear up some cold cases and also help police solve crimes down the road.

However, your pocketbook isn’t the only thing feeling the pinch; the state and county budgets are as well. With the number of violent and serious convictions that happen in Michigan, the DNA crime labs have their work cut out for them. State Police labs took over Detroit’s DNA testing last year due to some problems with misidentification occurring in the Detroit labs, further increasing the burden on them. [Read more…]

Police in Flint are “cracking down” on pants wearing styles. According to the Michigan Free Press, you can face criminal disorderly conduct or indecent exposure charges and jail time for your attire.

Police conduct gone too far? It is certainly an example of how broadly the charge of disorderly conduct can be interpreted under Michigan law. Is wearing you pants low with underwear exposed truly causing a “public disturbance”? It is certainly an arguable point in court.
And with this type of dress style extremely commonplace, it is hard to see how the average person would really be disturbed by this anymore.