Two new bills have been signed into law to protect public safety. Both bills amend the Michigan Corrections Code. The new laws allow the Michigan Parole Board to deny parole for up to five years, and in certain circumstances, to prevent victims from having to appear every year at parole hearings. The bills pertain to violent crimes only.
The bills come as a relief to victims of violent crime who now don’t have to relive the traumatizing experiences at parole hearings. The bills reform the reviewing and reporting requirements and generally require a majority vote of the Parole Board.
After the bills were signed last week, Randy Gilbert, a survivor of violent crime, said, “Today, I am breathing a sigh of relief knowing that my family and many others across Michigan are safer. This legislation ensures that survivors of horrific crimes are not retraumatized year after year by being forced to relive the worst thing that happened to them.”
House Bills 4562 and 4563 will have little effect on prisoners, but have a huge impact on families who are living with the trauma of being crime victims, according to the bill’s advocates.
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
