From infamy to exoneration: Central Park Five seek final resolution
On the night of April 19, 1989, a young white woman was raped in Central Park and left for dead. New York City was outraged by the crime. The next day police arrested 5 Black and Latino teenagers, and...
View ArticleMuslims In Michigan Prisons Will Get Halal Meals Under Settlement With State
Thousands of Muslim inmates in Michigan will have access to meals that comply with their religious beliefs.
View ArticleMSU, MDOC join forces for prisoner health
Michigan State University officials have announced a plan to help out the state’s 43,000 prisoners. The university’s College of Human Medicine will collaborate with the Michigan Department of...
View ArticleState prisoner reentry program looks to address unemployment
Inmates who leave Michigan prisons at the end of their sentences need an array of support services to help them successfully reenter society. The Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative was created in...
View ArticleJackson prison museum planned for 'Cell Block 7'
At the Southern Michigan Prison near Jackson, Cell Block 7 housed thousands of inmates beginning in the 1930s. Prisoners had been convicted of crimes ranging from liquor law violations to murder. Soon,...
View ArticleReporter details juvenile offenders’ lawsuit alleging prison rapes
From 2003 to 2013, Michigan prosecuted over 20,000 juvenile offenders as adults . Advocates for juvenile justice reform say youth housed in adult prisons are at a much greater risk for sexual abuse and...
View ArticleNew report says MI can safely reduce prison population by 10,000
Current State talks with Barb Levine, lead author of a report from The Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending that offers a roadmap to reducing the prison population and saving the state...
View ArticleMI prosecutors urge caution on prison reforms
Michigan prosecutors have issued a report with their positions on reforming the state's prison system.
View ArticleHuffington Post reporter says MI, US prisons need more transparency
Current State talks with Huffington Post reporter Dana Liebelson about her recent article about juvenile offenders in Michigan’s prison system and the challenges facing reporters covering the prison...
View ArticleMichigan severing ties with embattled prison food vendor
The state is cutting ties with Aramark and starting fresh with a new company to provide food service to Michigan prisons. Current State talks with Michigan Public Radio Network Statehouse Bureau Chief...
View ArticleJackson group helps former inmates adjust to everyday life
On Saturday in Jackson, former prison inmates will meet with concerned citizens and others to discuss reforms to America’s prison system. Current State’s Scott Pohl talks with Christine Peterson of the...
View ArticleStory of MI wrongful conviction takes the stage in East Lansing
The true story of Maurice Henry Carter, who was wrongfully convicted and served 29 years for shooting a Benton Harbor police officer, was turned into a play that will be performed tonight and Sunday in...
View ArticleMI lawmakers advance, introduce new prison reforms
We talk with Barbara Levine of the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending about prison reforms being considered in Lansing.
View ArticleAhead of Miller parole hearing, a victim speaks
This week, serial killer Donald Miller meets with the parole board about a possible release from prison. Miller confessed to killing four people. We talk with Lansing State Journal reporter Beth...
View ArticleMichigan Senate rolls out large prison and parole reform package
Michigan Senators are making a big push for prison and parole reform this year. Over 20 of the 52 bills introduced during session last week were about criminal justice changes.
View ArticleSenate adopts criminal justice overhaul
The state Senate has adopted a criminal justice overhaul that aims to improve public safety by sending fewer people to prison.
View ArticleCriminal justice reform sees renewed interest in Michigan
Advocates and lawmakers gathered Wednesday in Lansing with the message that there are too many people incarcerated and too few opportunities for inmates to reform themselves upon release.
View ArticleProposed $40 Million Cut In Prison Budget Sparks Debate
A battle is heating up in Lansing over the state’s corrections budget.
View ArticleHearings Begin To Compensate Exonerated Prisoners
The first hearings to compensate people who’ve been wrongfully convicted started Wednesday; but some left the courtroom unsatisfied. The hearings come after a new law was signed at the end of last...
View ArticlePrisoners With Mental Illness Still Waiting For Treatment
Ashoor Rasho has spent more than half of his life alone in a prison cell—22 to 24 hours a day. The cell was so narrow he could reach his arms out and touch both walls at once.
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