Longer shifts tested at two prisons

By KYLE CAMPBELL
Capital News Service
LANSING — In an effort to save money in one of Michigan’s most costly departments, correctional facilities throughout the state are considering increasing shifts from eight hours to 12 hours, a concept that’s being met with mixed reactions. Two prisons are giving the two-shift system a trial run, Muskegon Correctional Facility, which has had 12-hour shifts since it reopened last fall, and Newberry Correctional Facility. The issue is under discussion at several other prisons. Correctional officers at Newberry voted to accept the administration’s proposal to test 12-hour shifts Jan. 15, said Kris Kangas, president of the Newberry chapter of the Michigan Corrections Organization, the union representing the guards.