After peaking in 2006, the prisoner population in Michigan has been declining, dropping below 40,000 for the first time in over 20 years. Despite the decline, the Department of Corrections has seen a need for higher investment in services and programs in part because more prisoners are aging and require additional health care treatment. The Department of Corrections budget is almost entirely funded with state General Fund dollars, and total spending is expected to remain at approximately $2 billion in 2019. Approximately $1.6 billion or roughly 80% of the Corrections budget is allocated to prisoner housing, physical and mental healthcare, food, transportation and treatment programs, and vocational programs for prisoners.1
BACKGROUND
Mass incarceration has been proven to disproportionately affect the well-being of families of color.2 The impact is two-generational: Black and brown individuals, especially cisgender men and transgender men and women, are often targeted in community policing practices, and are more likely to receive harsher sentences and spend more time in prison than their white counterparts. Their arrests and subsequent imprisonment can mean long-term separation from family members and harmful consequences for their children’s health and mental well-being.
Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to experience poverty, drop out of school, have anxiety, be diagnosed with depression or ADHD and have behavioral issues, among other outcomes.3 A vision to end mass incarceration in Michigan must therefore also be a vision to undo systemic racism in the criminal justice system. In the Department of Corrections, appropriate investments in rehabilitation programs, mental health services and alternatives to prison for individuals are some of the ways policymakers can help move us toward progress.
PRISON OPERATIONS
- Governor: The governor funded prison operations at a total of approximately $1.08 billion spread across the state’s 28 prison facilities and including regional support systems for those facilities.
- Senate: The Senate proposed $1.06 billion in funding for prison operations.
- House: The House proposed approximately $1.07 billion in funding for prison operations.
Prison Food Services
- Governor: The governor retained current year funding for prison food services, and recommended an additional $13.7 million General Fund dollars as well as the authorization of 352 state employee positions to move food service operations in-house. This would end the privatization of the services following a range of highly publicized failures by contractors.
- Senate: Though the Senate concurred with the governor’s decision to move prison food services in-house, the Senate disagreed with the governor’s one-time funding recommendation and did not recommend funding for the transition. However, the Senate did recommend authorizing 352 state employee positions. In addition, the Senate recommended $50,000 in new funding for prison kitchen inspections. The Senate also recommended $2 million in new funding for an enhanced food technology program, among other things, would provide on-site training in kitchen prisons for up to 1,000 prisoners annually.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s funding recommendation to move food service operations back under the control of state employees.
INCARCERATION ALTERNATIVES
Residential Alternative to Prison Program
- Governor: The governor maintained $1.5 million for the Residential Alternative to Prison program, which expanded to counties in west Michigan last year. The program provides vocational, educational and cognitive programming for probation violators who might otherwise be sentenced to prison.
- Senate: The Senate concurred with the governor’s spending on the program.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s spending on the program.
EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING FOR PRISONERS
Vocational Village
- Governor: The governor maintained $3.3 million in funding for the Vocational Village program in Jackson and Ionia. The program trains prisoners in the skilled trades. A third Vocational Village program set to open in Huron Valley is still in the planning and development stages.
- Senate: The Senatedid not make a specific recommendation for the program.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s spending on the program.
Online High School Equivalency Pilot Program
- Governor: The governor proposed eliminating the Online High School Equivalency program ($1 million in funding) which offers career-based online high school diplomas. The funding was first included in the 2018 budget with the intention of serving up to 400 inmates.
- Senate: The Senate disagreed with the governor’s recommendation and retains current year funding as well as an additional $1 million to expand the program.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s spending on the program.
Goodwill Flip the Script
- Governor: The governor eliminated funding for the Flip the Script program ($1.5 million) operated by Goodwill industries in Wayne County. The program has been funded since the 2015 budget year and provides education, job training and mentoring to 16- to 39-year-olds who have entered the criminal justice system, with the goal of keeping them out of the prison system.
- Senate Senate: The Senate disagreed with the governor and recommends retaining the program with an additional $1 million in funding.
- House: The House disagreed with the governor and recommends retaining current year funding for the program.
Education Programs for Higher Security Prisoners
- Governor: The governor recommended $4 million ($2.4 million one-time and $1.6 million ongoing) to expand education programs to higher-security level prisoners with the intention of ensuring that more inmates are able to gain job readiness skills and prepare for reentry into communities.
- Senate: The Senate disagreed with the governor and does not include funding for the program.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s proposed one-time and ongoing spending on educational programs for high-security prisoners.
HEALTH-RELATED SERVICES
Prisoner Healthcare
Between 2002 and 2016, Corrections spending increased by an average of 1.3% annually. During this period, per-prisoner costs for healthcare increased by an average of 3.7% annually (between the 2003 and 2017 budget years).4 The aging prison population is a major factor in the rise in per-prisoner health care costs.
- Governor: The governor recommended an additional $2.5 million in funding to the primary contractor for healthcare services to Michigan prisoners. The governor recommended inflationary increases plus an increase in the cost per prisoner for physical and mental healthcare services.5
- Senate: The Senate proposed a reduction of $932,400 from current year funding for the contract.
- House: The House disagreed with the governor’s funding level and proposed a $1.5 million reduction from current year funding in the contract.
Hepatitis C Treatment
- Governor: The governor maintained $6.7 million in funding for drug treatment of prisoners with hepatitis C.
- Senate: The Senate concurred with the governor’s funding level.
- House: The House concurred with the governor’s funding level.
Federally Qualified Health Center Pilot Program
- Governor: The governor proposed eliminating the pilot program ($75,000 in funding) that helps ensure that behavioral and physical health needs of parolees and probationers are met.
- Senate: The Senate disagreed with the governor’s recommendation and maintained current year funding for the program and recommended $675,000 in funding to expand the program.
- House: The House concurred with the governor and eliminated funding for the program.
Substance Abuse Parole Certain Sanction Program
- Governor: The governor proposed eliminating the program ($1.4 million in funding) for accredited rehabilitation organizations offering services to parole violators with a history of heroin and methamphetamine abuse. Funding for this program was first included in the 2016 budget.
- Senate: The Senate retained current year funding and recommended an additional $1 million to expand the program.
- House: The House disagreed with the governor and retained current year funding for the program.
ENDNOTES
- R. Risko, Budget Briefing: Corrections, House Fiscal Agency (January 2017).
- M. Mitchell and M. Leachman, Changing Priorities: State Criminal Justice Reforms and Investments in Education, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (October 2014).
- L. Morsy and R. Rothstein, Mass Incarceration and Children’s Outcomes, Economic Policy Institute (December 2016).
- R. Risko, Budget Briefing: Corrections, House Fiscal Agency (January 2017).
- R. Risko, Summary: House Subcommittee Chair’s Recommendations, House Bill 5562 (H-1) Draft 1 (April 2018).
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
