Michigan Enacts Landmark Jail Reforms pewtrusts.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pewtrusts.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Michigan Senate on Thursday approved criminal justice reform bills that would end automatic driver s license suspensions for unpaid fines and fees not related to dangerous driving, a practice that advocates say traps people in poverty.
Other criminal justice bills passed by the Senate on Thursday would eliminate mandatory jail time for some misdemeanor offenses and remove a barrier to occupational licenses for people with criminal records. Some of the bills will go back to the House for concurrence on minor changes before they are sent to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Organizations from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan to Safe & Just Michigan to Americans for Prosperity-Michigan praised the bills as a step in ending the overuse of Michigan s jails.