Prosecuting attorneys and sheriffs from Allegan, Berrien, Cass, Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties gathered Tuesday at the Kalamazoo County Courthouse as similar news conferences were being held all over the state. Their message was that trimming state prison populations to save money will mean more crime.
Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz says Michigan already has the highest violent crime rate in the Great Lakes region. Fitz he and other law enforcement officials are worried about an effort underway in the state legislature to overturn Michigan's "Truth in Sentencing" law.
The measure passed in 1998 requires convicts to serve their minimum sentence and eliminated time off for good behavior. Supporters of the effort to overturn the law say that would reduce prison populations and save the state more than $100 million a year.