In the Justice System, 1.5 million prisoners were held in United States correctional facilities at the federal and state level. President Trump signed the First Step Act in December of 2018. The Act aims to provide rehabilitative and transitional services to reduce the rate of recidivism in federal prisoners and better provide for the prisoners' needs. In addition, the Act provides for lighter sentencing guidelines in order to prevent disproportionate sentencing. Indeed, the State of Michigan has already experienced success in achieving this goal when it expanded prison reform efforts to include job training and other services in 2005.
The First Step Act: Criminal Justice Reform
First Ammendment
Don't Hide
Something as simple as a traffic ticket can land you in jail if you fail to appear in court. Arrests that stem from failures to appear in court typically come from
bench warrants. Bench warrants are issued by judges. Bench warrants allow officers to arrest you upon contact. It is used to make sure you appear in court. Be careful. If a bench warrant is issued for your arrest, it can be unlikely that you will be released on bail because you are considered a flight risk.
Michigan's Sex Offender Registry to Change
Did you know Michigan's sex offender registry law was ruled unconstitutional in August 2016? Michigan's Sex Offender Registry is a database containing the
names, addresses, and offense(s) of everyone in Michigan convicted of certain sexual offenses. This information is made available to the public. Offenders are classified into one of three "tiers," which is determined by the offense or the number of offenses. The tier determines how long a person remains in the registry.
