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People in Michigan prisons serve among the longest average minimum sentences in the nation, growing 66.7% from 7.2 years in the year 2000 to 12 years in 2022. And that’s just the minimum sentence — not the actual sentence a person served — and it doesn’t account for the decades of incarceration known by many people serving life sentences. While the numbers are now a decade old, a 2013 survey from the Urban Institute found that Michigan had an average prison stay of 8.9 years for someone serving a sentence for a violent offense — giving us the distinction of having people serving the longest sentences for violent offenses in the nation. However, in many cases, those long sentences aren’t necessary to protect the public. Research tells us that most people age out of crime by the time they are 50.

These long sentences have several consequences for our state. It directly translates to having one of the oldest prison populations. Older populations are associated with more health concerns and greater health care costs. The larger prison population also requires more prison staff — everyone from guards to administrators to medical professionals — at a time when the Michigan Department of Corrections already struggles to find enough workers. And all of this comes at the expense of Michigan taxpayers.