It seems most politicians are under the impression that Michigan is having a going-out-of-business sale and the state will accept any agreement as long as it will provide some budgetary relief. Sadly, that assessment might be fairly accurate.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm recently reached out to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and proposed moving almost 2,000 California prisoners to Michigan facilities, which otherwise would be closed by October. Closing the potential prisons would save the state $120 million but would eliminate more than 500 jobs. With some funding from the Golden State, these convicts could prove to be a solid moneymaker for Michigan. It’s unknown exactly how much money the state would earn by accepting California’s prisoners, but it seems clear that Michigan would at the very least be able to make a profit. Even if it’s not much, the word “profit” makes the proposal hard to turn down. But this issue isn’t just about money — it’s about image, too.
Accepting prisoners from California is the second proposal in the last few months to try to bring out-of-state criminals to unused Michigan prisons. In June, a U.S. representative from the Upper Peninsula offered up a Manistique prison to house detainees from Guantanamo Bay, which we supported. At the time, it was a matter of safety and money. Threats of breakouts are often greatly overstated, so if the state could find an easy way to earn some money, we could hardly complain.
But after the second similar proposal, one starts to worry the state is heading down a bad road. Finding nontraditional ways to bring in revenue is understandable, but is the state broadcasting the message that it will do anything to save a few bucks?
With a recession hitting the state as hard as it has, the government has been scrambling to give the state and its taxpayers some relief. Accepting prisoners from California and Guantanamo Bay would help out both local and state economies, bring in funding and keep hundreds employed with no cost to citizens. On paper, allowing these prisoners is an easy decision to make.
Unfortunately, when solutions like these arrive, the state only looks worse. Whether it’s trash from Canada, prisoners from California or selling water from the Great Lakes, the state seems far too comfortable with taking on other states’ problems at the expense of its reputation. Sure, it’s a quick way to save money, but is the state really any better off? Michigan shouldn’t have to sell off parts of itself just to make ends meet.
It’s not prostitution, as some have suggested, but it’s not far off.
The thing about dignity is that occasionally it can’t be afforded. Accepting prisoners is a relatively painless way to cut some costs, and the state should pursue that to its fullest capacity. In a perfect world, Michigan wouldn’t need to make any decisions like this. But the reality of the situation is that the state needs money, and it needs it badly.
The almighty budget would be closer to being balanced and all it would cost is a little bit of the state’s soul.
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