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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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Gov. Jennifer Granholm OKs clemency for 100 inmates in 2 years
By The Associated Press
January 17, 2010, 6:55PM
AP photoGov. Jennifer Granholm has granted clemency to 100 inmates held in Michigan's prisons over the past two years-a pace of commutations far higher than any in the last four decades, according to state statistics.
The Lansing State Journal reported Sunday that during Granholm's first five years in office, the one-time federal prosecutor approved 18 commutations. All those prisoners had medical issues, and many died within months or even days of their release.
But in 2008 and 2009, Granholm commuted the sentences of 100 prisoners, according to statistics from the Michigan Department of Corrections. That is far more than any two-year period in the last four decades.
Officials told the newspaper the reasons for the increase stem from the state's budget crisis and a state-commissioned report that said Michigan is keeping people in prison too long and spending too much money on its $2 billion-a-year prison system.
"The report and the fiscal crisis facing the state are factors that caused the governor to reconsider the manner in which she considers commutation requests," said Department of Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan.
Granholm's office forwarded all questions regarding clemency to Marlan.
Last year, the state parole board added five members and was renamed the Michigan Parole and Commutation Board as part of an overhaul to help reduce the size of the prison population. About 13,000 prisoners were paroled in 2009-the most ever.
Of the 100 clemencies Granholm granted in the last two years, about one-third were listed as medical cases, records show.
Thirty-two were first-degree murder convictions.
A man serving a life sentence for the 1986 slaying of a Charlotte grocery store manager hopes to be among those obtaining clemency.
Roger Ruthruff, one of two people convicted of first-degree felony murder in the beating death of 37-year-old John Hubbard, has a commutation hearing Jan. 25.
The hearing, during which the public, law enforcement and family members can voice their opinions, is intended to help the 15-member board determine whether Ruthruff, 42, is a threat to society.
The board later will vote on whether to recommend clemency to Granholm, who makes the final decision.
Corrections officials say Ruthruff has been a model prisoner.
But a powerful contingent of people oppose Ruthruff's release, including the Eaton County prosecutor who sent him to prison, the county's current prosecutor and state Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge.
"If you're going to commute (Ruthruff's) sentence, then virtually anybody that's in prison for first-degree felony murder, who's done 20-plus years, should get out," said attorney G. Michael Hocking, who prosecuted both Ruthruff and his co-defendant 24 years ago.
Ruthruff has applied for commutation twice. In 2003, the board determined his request had no merit and Granholm denied the application.
Officials said the board is acting on Ruthruff's August 2007 request, following a multistep process that has led to the hearing. |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:35 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| Local law enforcement officials have also been very vocal in their disapproval of Granholms release policies, especially when they were only supposed to be nonviolent releases. |
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Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:50 pm |
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Adam
F L I N T O I D
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| We should legalize marijuana. That would save prison money and create jobs. |
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Mon Jan 18, 2010 10:21 pm |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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| I agree that and prostitution. Total waste of lawenforcement manpower. |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Tue Jan 19, 2010 8:54 am |
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FStar
F L I N T O I D
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| of course twotap wants prostitution legalized, he's sick of being busted by cops on the oriental health spas. |
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Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:26 am |
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twotap
F L I N T O I D
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And it would for sure make it a lot less stressful for fstar when hes doing his thing in the State Bar parking lot.  |
_________________
"If you like your current healthcare you can keep it, Period"!!
Barack Hussein Obama--- multiple times. |
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Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:34 am |
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