How public health and prisons are intertwined michiganradio.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from michiganradio.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Credit powelli / Creative Commons http://j.mp/1SPGCl0
Governor Gretchen Whitmer has commuted the sentences of four people serving extremely long sentences for non-violent crimes, including drug possession and distribution.
She says it s part of the effort to make the state s justice system smarter and more equitable.
In a statement, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist said: For far too long, the so-called ‘tough on crime’ and ‘war on drugs’ eras of criminal justice have led to fractured families and broken communities that make our state less safe, particularly for people of color in Michigan. Our administration has spent the last two years delivering bipartisan solutions to improve the criminal justice system in a way that levels the playing field for individuals who have committed nonviolent offenses.
Clockwise from upper left: Michael Thompson, Lawrence Cadroy, Lorenzo Garrett and Larry McGhee. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has commuted the sentences of three men serving decades in prison for noniolent drug offenses and another whose case stemmed from the sale of marijuana. The commutations follow state parole board recommendations. The men are: Michael Thompson, sentenced to 42-60 years in 1996 for gun charges stemming from his sale of three pounds of marijuana to a police informant. Lawrence Cadroy, sentenced to life for drug possession in 1999. His earliest release date was 2030. Lorenzo Garrett, sentenced to 29-170 years in 1999 for selling drugs. Larry McGhee, sentenced to 20-30 years in 2004 for selling drugs.
ABC57 News in South Bend, Ind. covers all of Michiana including St. Joseph, Elkhart, Kosciusko, LaPorte and Marshall counties in Indiana and Berrien, Cass, Van Buren and St. Joseph counties in Mich.