NO COLLEGE COURSES FOR PRISONERS S.B. 262 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 262 (Substitute S-2 as reported) Sponsor: Senator Philip E. Hoffman Committee: Judiciary
The bill would amend the Department of Corrections (DOC) law to prohibit the Department from allowing college-level courses of instruction to be provided to prisoners incarcerated in State correctional facilities unless otherwise required by Federal law or Federal court decree. The bill would not prohibit, however, a prisoner from enrolling in a postsecondary or college-level course of instruction, at his or her own expense, if otherwise allowed by the DOC.
Proposed MCL 791.268 Legislative Analyst: P. Affholter
The Department currently provides college-level courses to prisoners only at those institutions that are covered by either Federal court consent decree or court order. While the consent decree does not speak to college-level courses specifically, it does require continuation of certain forms of out- of-cell activity, one of which is college education course work. (The Glover Federal court order, which deals with parity issues for women prisoners, also requires college courses for women prisoners.)
If in the future, however, the court orders were to be lifted, the bill would prohibit the Department from providing these courses, if the Department chose to do so. The Department spends nearly
$2.0 million each year to contract with local community colleges and four-year institutions to provide these college-level courses.
Date Completed: 5-16-95 Fiscal Analyst: M. Hansen
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.