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The MPRI is a statewide collaborative effort administered through a public and private partnership, including the Department of Corrections, Department of Labor and Economic Growth, Department of Community Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Education, Public Policy Associates, and the Michigan Council on Crime & Delinquency.MPRI News
Ex-cons face challenges returning from prison
By Jef Rietsma | Special to the Kalamazoo Gazette
CENTREVILLE — Having a strong support system, landing the opportunity to secure a job and being accepted by society are critical factors in whether ex-convicts are able to refrain from falling back into their old ways, a group of county and state officials noted Tuesday night.
A state program called the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative is helping to provide some former prisoners on parole the tools and skills to successfully return to society and live a productive life.
A panel of authorities with experience in dealing with the program — including St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough and Sheriff Brad Balk — met at Glen Oaks Community College to provide facts and background about the initiative, which started in select counties in 2005 and was employed statewide by 2007.
They said the MPRI is not an early-release program and it is not relevant to county jail inmates. Rather, it is for low-level criminals who are given training and counseling to help them adjust to life outside of prison.
The rationale behind MPRI is that it is cheaper to train, counsel and support inmates prior to and after their release than it is to merely turn them loose with no guidance and run a greater risk of recidivism. McDonough said it costs about $32,000 a year to house an inmate in the state’s prison system.
He said 90 percent of the people released from prison return to the community where they lived prior to incarceration.
“We can’t just throw them away, kick them to the curb and pretend like they’re not here because they’ll be at Meijer, they’ll be at Wal-Mart, they’ll be with us doing normal, everyday things,” McDonough said.
State Rep. Matt Lori, R-Constantine, who served as sheriff of St. Joseph County for 20 years until the end of 2008, said employment for ex-cons is a critical part of the MPRI program.
Lori said people released from prison tend to be responsible and dependable workers, and the odds of returning to their trouble-making ways decrease when they have less idle time on their hands.
Lori and Balk said area employers may want to consider MPRI participants for hard-to-fill jobs. A total of 150 MPRI participants have returned to St. Joseph County upon being released from prison since 2007.
A panel of authorities with experience in dealing with the program — including St. Joseph County Prosecutor John McDonough and Sheriff Brad Balk — met at Glen Oaks Community College to provide facts and background about the initiative, which started in select counties in 2005 and was employed statewide by 2007.
They said the MPRI is not an early-release program and it is not relevant to county jail inmates. Rather, it is for low-level criminals who are given training and counseling to help them adjust to life outside of prison.
The rationale behind MPRI is that it is cheaper to train, counsel and support inmates prior to and after their release than it is to merely turn them loose with no guidance and run a greater risk of recidivism. McDonough said it costs about $32,000 a year to house an inmate in the state’s prison system.
He said 90 percent of the people released from prison return to the community where they lived prior to incarceration.
“We can’t just throw them away, kick them to the curb and pretend like they’re not here because they’ll be at Meijer, they’ll be at Wal-Mart, they’ll be with us doing normal, everyday things,” McDonough said.
State Rep. Matt Lori, R-Constantine, who served as sheriff of St. Joseph County for 20 years until the end of 2008, said employment for ex-cons is a critical part of the MPRI program.
Lori said people released from prison tend to be responsible and dependable workers, and the odds of returning to their trouble-making ways decrease when they have less idle time on their hands.
Lori and Balk said area employers may want to consider MPRI participants for hard-to-fill jobs. A total of 150 MPRI participants have returned to St. Joseph County upon being released from prison since 2007.
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Planning and preparation are the keys to moving prisoners through a successful community re-entry process.