Michigan Has Released Thousands Of Prisoners During The Pandemic

Michigan has released thousands of inmates from prison during the coronavirus pandemic.  And very few of the inmates released are committing new crimes.

According to an article by BridgeDetroit.com, "court and law enforcement officials who spoke to Bridge said they’re not seeing those released from jail re-committing crimes and returning in droves. "  The prison population was reduced by thousands of inmates since the beginning of the pandemic, with the population dropping below 36,000 in March.

It is estimated that over 2,000 prisoners have been released since the pandemic began.  The state has also seen a drop in total crime with some slightly increased crime rates in a few cities across the state.

The release of prisoners was in response to thousands of COVID-19 cases and dozens of deaths amongst the inmate population.  As of June 9, 2020 a total of 5.2% of the total prison system population has been released.