Not unlike other communities around the state and the country, the Washtenaw County Jail is facing an acute overcrowding crisis, as The Ann Arbor News reported on Sunday, June 1. In an effort to relieve the situation, a 13-person taskforce has been assembled to investigate possible solutions. The taskforce is investigating viable remedies for the prison, which is 40 percent too small. These solutions include releasing inmates who are non-threatening to the community, prison expansion and semi-alternative placements, a program in which prisoners work during the daytime but are watched by professional staff at nighttime.

The taskforce's first objective is to contact sentencing judges and have them consider which prisoners can be released. While this may seem like a frightening step to take, if handled properly, releasing some prisoners is a reasonable solution to lessen the prison's overpopulation problem, especially considering the high number of prisoners incarcerated for non-violent crimes, such as minor drug violations. Released prisoners would be released on a short leash or to drug treatment. This possibility could immediately tackle overcrowding.

Just before handing over the governorship to Gov. Jennifer Granholm, former Gov. John Engler signed a bill on Christmas day abolishing mandatory sentences for drug offenders. By doing this, Engler preemptively contributed to easing overcrowding in prisons. This landmark bill should not only be upheld, but should retroactively release such prisoners, to shave off some of the current overcrowding.

Another option being examined by the taskforce is prison expansion. Though this would accommodate all those incarcerated, it does not solve the problem. This solution diverts even more funds to the prison system, which currently sucks valuable dollars away from other programs, such as education and healthcare. Expanding the bloated prison system would be counterproductive and is unnecessary.

Furthermore, un-rehabilitated prisoners are one of the primary causes of overcrowding at the Washtenaw County Jail. The overflow is in part because of the high numbers of people who continue committing crimes and returning to jail after they have served their sentences. If an effective, intimate rehabilitation program were implemented, the jail's population problem would be alleviated. In addition, such a program would ultimately reduce the number of repeat offenders, not only saving the state resources currently spent on incarceration, but also increasing the number of productive workers and citizens.

Of the possible solutions to the overcrowding, a program known as alternative placements appears to be quite appealing. This method of rehabilitation offers a stable place at night as well as the tools and knowledge for success in the world outside of prison, so that inmates will be able to contribute to society after their sentences are complete. With these acquired skills, ex-prisoners will be less likely to attempt to return to jail.

At the state-level, alternative placements are an advantageous route as well. To invest in personalized and effective rehabilitation now would save the state money in the long run. Less crime later translates into fewer prison costs down the road. Focusing funds on prisoner rehabilitation programs would be a fruitful investment for the state to make, not only for its budget, but in order to improve the quality of life for residents across the state.