Prison Population Trends in Michigan Since 1994

The prison population in Michigan has risen dramatically since the early 1990s, reflecting society's general lack of tolerance for criminal behavior. Successive state legislatures and governors have pursued tough-on-crime policies, pushing up incarceration rates and the length of sentences for all criminal convictions.

In 1982, the prison population of Michigan was 13,272, according to a report by Public Sector Consultants. In 1991, Republican John Engler took office with a promise of tackling crime in the state. By 1996, the prison population had risen to 40,182, a massive growth in such a short time. This growth continued with a year on year increase of more than 5,000 by the end of 1997. The total amount serving time by then was 45,426 people.

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Behind the increase in the population of prisoners lay the tough changes in policy. Parole boards took a hard stance on cases and fewer people were getting a reduction on time spent in prison than before, especially with violent crime. Mandatory sentencing was introduced for many crimes that would have gotten a shorter, fixed term in previous years. Convictions such as drug trafficking and sex crimes were particularly targeted. As a reaction to the increase in violent crime, the courts were handing down longer sentences when trying such cases. The result of the measures meant that by 2006 Michigan's prison population had risen to a record 51,000 people, Bridge Magazine reported.

The increase in the prison population as a result of these measures came with a cost. With the need for more places, bigger prisons were built while the costs of housing violent offenders for longer increased the budget even more. The state began to address the record of 51,000 people behind bars during 2006, in an effort to bring costs down. By 2011, as a result of increasing parole, the reduction in mandatory sentencing and reducing those going to jail for minor offenses, the population dropped to 42,904. The rate increased slightly again by the end of 2013 to 43,000, but efforts are still in play to keep the trend downwards.

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