The Michigan Jail Reform Advisory Council has been created by Executive Order of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. County jails are housing an increasing number of inmates costing taxpayers nearly half a billion dollars each year.
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist said, “This council will do critical work to implement the recommendations of last year’s Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration that I was proud to co-chair. Together, we can make substantive, lasting changes to our justice system that make us all safer and help us live up to our highest ideals.”
The new council is Chaired by Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and is made up of members of the law enforcement community, mental health care, and county government.
McCormack said, “Thanks to the data-driven, bipartisan work of the Jail and Pretrial Incarceration Task Force, Michigan is a national leader in reforming our criminal justice system to be more fair, effective, transparent, and accountable. The council will support the implementation of these pioneering improvements, making sure the vision of a justice system that makes us all safer and stronger that inspired us becomes reality.”
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
