HOUSE BILL No. 5987

 

April 15, 2008, Introduced by Rep. Hammel and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1982 PA 325, entitled

 

"An act to authorize county sheriffs to declare a county jail

overcrowding state of emergency; to prescribe the powers and duties

of certain judges, county sheriffs, and other county officials; and

to provide remedies for a county jail overcrowding state of

emergency,"

 

by amending section 6 (MCL 801.56), as amended by 1988 PA 399.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 6. (1) The further actions prescribed in subsections (2)

 

to (4) and in sections 7 and 8 shall be required unless the actions

 

taken pursuant to section 5 reduce the county's jail population to

 

the higher of the following:

 

     (a) 90% of rated design capacity or a percentage of rated

 

design capacity less than 90% as set by a court prior to February

 

8, 1983.

 


     (b) A prisoner population such that the jail has the following

 

number of empty beds:

 

     (i) For a jail with a rated design capacity of less than 500

 

beds, at least 10 empty beds.

 

     (ii) For a jail with a rated design capacity of 500 beds or

 

more, at least 25 empty beds.

 

     (2) If the actions taken pursuant to section 5 do not reduce

 

the county jail's population to the level prescribed in subsection

 

(1) within 14 days of after the declaration of the county jail

 

overcrowding state of emergency, the sheriff shall present to the

 

chief circuit judge for the county in which the jail is located the

 

following information for each prisoner sentenced to and housed in

 

the county jail on that date:

 

     (a) For prisoners who are serving a sentence of imprisonment

 

for conviction of 1 or more crimes:

 

     (i) (a) The name of each prisoner.

 

     (ii) (b) The offense for which the prisoner was convicted.

 

     (iii) (c) The length of sentence imposed for the prisoner.

 

     (iv) (d) The date on which the prisoner began serving his or

 

her sentence.

 

     (v) (e) The date on which the prisoner will be released from

 

the jail according to the terms of his or her sentence, including

 

computations for good time.

 

     (vi) (f) The name of the judge who imposed the sentence.

 

     (b) For prisoners housed in the county jail who are not

 

serving a sentence of imprisonment for conviction of a crime:

 

     (i) The name of the prisoner.

 


     (ii) The offense for which the prisoner is being detained in

 

the county jail.

 

     (iii) The amount of the prisoner's bond.

 

     (iv) The date on which the prisoner began his or her period of

 

detention.

 

     (v) The name of the judge who ordered the prisoner to be

 

detained.

 

     (3) After the chief circuit judge for the county in which the

 

jail is located reviews the information presented by the sheriff

 

pursuant to subsection (2), the chief circuit judge shall, for

 

purposes of county jail population reduction, classify the do both

 

of the following:

 

     (a) Classify prisoners who are serving sentences of

 

imprisonment for conviction of crimes into 2 groups: those

 

prisoners who, if released, would present a high risk to the public

 

safety, and those who, if released, would not present a high risk

 

to the public safety. The chief circuit judge shall also determine

 

a minimum and a maximum percentage by which the sentences can be

 

reduced. The sheriff shall reduce the sentences of all prisoners

 

who, if released, would not present a high risk to the public

 

safety by an equal percentage which is within the minimum and

 

maximum percentages determined by the chief circuit judge.

 

     (b) Review the list of prisoners housed in the county jail who

 

are not serving a sentence for conviction of crimes and determine

 

for each prisoner whether the release of that prisoner would or

 

would not present a high risk to public safety. The chief judge may

 

modify the bond of a prisoner described in this subdivision,

 


subject to any conditions reasonably necessary to ensure the

 

appearance of the individual in court.

 

     (4) The sentences of prisoners sentenced to and housed in the

 

county jail after the fourteenth day of the county jail

 

overcrowding state of emergency may continue to be reduced in the

 

same manner as prescribed in subsections (2) (2)(a) and (3) (3)(a),

 

but shall not be reduced after the county jail overcrowding state

 

of emergency is ended or after the sheriff orders a sentence

 

reduction pursuant to section 7, whichever occurs first.

 

     (5) Not later than 18 months after the effective date of the

 

1988 amendatory act that added this subsection and amended

 

subsection (1), the office of facility services of the department

 

of corrections, in cooperation with the Michigan sheriffs'

 

association, shall report to the chairpersons of the senate and

 

house standing committees responsible for legislation concerning

 

corrections. The report shall evaluate the effect on the

 

overcrowding state of emergency procedures of the amendments to

 

subsection (1) made by the 1988 amendatory act that added this

 

subsection for the 12 months beginning on the effective date of

 

that 1988 amendatory act.