LANSING – State Representative Mike Lahti (D-Hancock) today blasted Michigan Republican Party Deputy Chair Norm Shinkle for making disparaging remarks opposing a plan that will help preserve hundreds of jobs across the state by bringing in prisoners from other states.
"Four of the eight state prisons and camps that are being closed are in the U.P. – this is serious business," Lahti said. "Our prison employees are hard-working residents who are really suffering because they've lost their jobs. The towns that are losing these facilities will suffer. The schools where these facilities were located will suffer. It's totally irresponsible of the Republican Party Deputy Chair to dismiss a plan to keep prisons open. This isn't about politics – this is about retaining and creating jobs for our residents."
To alleviate budget pressures and prison overcrowding in other states, the Governor has proposed a plan to offer space in two vacant state prisons to house inmates from California and Alaska. Under the plan, Michigan prisons would offer the same level of security for a competitive cost, providing the revenue needed to keep Michigan corrections officers on the job.
In June, Lahti spoke out against the Department of Corrections' decision to close four U.P. prison camps, which will result in the loss of more than 150 jobs.
"It is in everyone's best interests to keep as many U.P. residents working as possible so that our families and our communities stay strong," Lahti said. "The men and women employed by our prisons work hard every day to keep our neighborhoods safe. The GOP Deputy Chief should apologize for playing politics when there are jobs on the line."