Putting hardened criminals back on the street?

Beware! Democrats want to put hardened criminals back on the street in Michigan! 

That’s the essence of a warning in a recent Detroit News column. Just for the record, I’m not a novice. I’m an “old-school” editorial writer. In my career as a broadcast journalist spanning nearly 3 decades, I wrote and aired hundreds of editorials about issues in my community. I think there was a clear difference between my opinion pieces and those being written in newspapers and aired on TV these days. 

On occasion a listener would chide me for trying to persuade people to think my way. My immediate and strong response was NO. Instead, I simply wanted people to think! Period. I raised the issue, and expressed opinions, to prod listeners into doing their own research on the topic allowing them to reach an informed opinion. 

I get the feeling that too many of these cable news commentators and flaming liberal or conservative columnists have goals of high ratings…integrity be damned. Many seem intent on stirring the pot. 

I don’t remember who the columnist was in the Detroit News, and I don’t care. However, because I’m in the prisoner advocacy business, I care a lot about inaccurate and inflammatory statements. 

What the man was talking about was proposed “Second Look” legislation in Michigan. 

In explaining the topic, Safe and Just Michigan states: “This initiative would give people serving long sentences the ability to have a judge review their sentence after 10 years. In doing so, judges could rethink overly harsh sentences or bring new research on brain development to consideration.” 

I quote from an S&J blog piece: Second Look legislation is crucial in a state like Michigan, where Good Time has been abolished and we still have a Truth in Sentencing law that demands 100 percent of a minimum sentence be served before parole can be considered. Second Look would serve as a bulwark against Michigan’s dubious distinction as the state with the longest minimum prison sentences. While we have made progress in reducing Michigan’s overall prison population, most of that has come from reducing the number of people serving shorter sentences. Meanwhile, Truth in Sentencing and a lack of Good Time have made sure that people serving longer sentences have remained incarcerated. As a result, the average minimum sentence of a person incarcerated inside a Michigan prison has grown 34.8 percent from 8.9 years in 2011 to 12 years in 2021. 

That is an example of researched and responsible opinion writing. 

I encourage you to speak with your state legislator about the Second Look concept. We need it in Michigan. Be assured there’s no one in political office who wants to put “hardened criminals back on the street.” 

Just ignore those wild-ass assertions of a Detroit News columnist.



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