What you may have heard this past week, was that Michigan gutted its budget for reentry of incarcerated individuals back into their communities. What I may not have explained, is that Michigan legislators have a unique knack of cutting their nose off to spite their face. As a big picture thinker, I am increasingly annoyed with Michigan lawmakers.
Allow me to step you through it.
For years, the MDOC has ignored the dignity and constitutional rights of the people in its custody. Chronically understaffed and without independent oversight, a $500 million lawsuit now alleges that corrections officers secretly videotaped invasive strip searches; a horrifying breach of privacy that no one should have to endure.
What’s worse is this is just one lawsuit. And the Michigan Department of Corrections didn’t just fail women at one prison. It happened across the state.
Why? Failed policy that Michigan DOC didn’t consider until it was too late and the traumatization already occurred.
Yet this isn’t an isolated failure. Between the constant policy shortcomings (like the DOC Visitor memo), to the decades of punitive sentencing, gutted reentry support, and a political culture more interested in punishment than human rights, Michigan lawmakers and DOC officials are hands down wasting taxpayer money and in the process, denying basic human rights.
How Michigan Lawmakers Fail to See Humanity
“A society should be judged not by how it treats its outstanding citizens but by how it treats its criminals.”
— Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Michigan lawmakers love to posture about accountability and safety, but the system they’ve built is inhumane, expensive, and legally reckless. When prisons cut corners on dignity and oversight, lawsuits follow and who foots the bill? Taxpayers.
And somehow, those same lawmakers forget that incarcerated people are still people with families, children, and loved ones who care deeply about them. People who will eventually be able to return home and vote. Ignoring their humanity isn’t just cruel; it’s politically and financially reckless.
To make matters worse, Michigan’s legislature just recently slashed key reentry programs, support that helps people transition home, stay safe, and avoid repeat harm. Cutting reentry means more people will return to prison without the tools to succeed and more lawsuits will follow when the system fails again.
I’m deeply ashamed to be a Michigander watching this cycle play out, and if more people do not stand up, the waste will continue.
Why This Matters
- Human rights aren’t optional. No one, regardless of their crime, should be secretly filmed during one of the most humiliating procedures imaginable.
- People in prison are still human. They have families who love them, and stripping away their dignity harms entire communities, not just individuals.
- Taxpayers will pay for negligence. Every rights violation leads to massive settlements that come from the state budget, not from the pockets of those who failed to act.
- Cutting reentry will backfire. Michigan just gutted reentry support, meaning more failure, more lawsuits, and more wasted taxpayer money.
- Safety and dignity are linked. Dehumanizing people in prison doesn’t make communities safer, it makes reentry harder and increases the chance of future harm.
- Michigan keeps repeating this cycle. Punitive sentencing + little oversight + no real investment in reentry = lawsuits, human suffering, and no progress.
How You Can Make Your Voice Heard — Right Now
Call or email your state legislators (takes 3 minutes):
- Find your State Representative and State Senator.
- Use this simple script:
Hi, my name is [Name], and I’m a voter in [City]. I’m asking you to restore and expand reentry support, fund oversight in Michigan’s prisons — including mandatory body-worn cameras for staff, independent investigations into abuse, and trauma-informed training. Incarcerated people are still human beings with families who care about them, and taxpayers should not be paying for negligence and human rights violations.
Demand hearings and public reporting:
Email the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections and Senate Judiciary Committee asking for:
- Public reporting on staff misconduct and lawsuits.
- Restoration of reentry program funding.
- Funding for trauma-informed training and body-worn cameras.
Vote for reform-minded candidates:
Check your voter registration at Michigan Voter Information Center and plan to vote for candidates who support criminal justice reform and human rights protections.
Support advocacy groups doing the work:
- ACLU of Michigan
- Safe & Just Michigan
- Nation Outside
Donate, volunteer, or share their campaigns to keep pressure on lawmakers.
Share this story and tag lawmakers:
Post on social media and tag your representatives so this doesn’t disappear quietly.
