Government
Criminal justice bills would define problems to help solve them
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By LAINA STEBBINS
Capital News Service
LANSING — Michigan’s recidivism rate is significantly higher than the national average. Or is it? No one knows for sure, supporters of a criminal justice revamp package say, thanks to a lack of agreement among state agencies about which measurements to use in defining how often convicted criminals go on to commit future crimes. And that’s just one part of the problem. A piece of legislation defining recidivism and how to calculate a rate is one of 20 bills in a package that supporters say would enhance the efficiency of Michigan’s criminal justice system.