Crackdown on state parole absconders outpaces jail space

DETROIT (AP) -- A Michigan Department of Corrections crackdown on parole absconders following some high-profile criminal cases involving state-supervised convicts is outpacing jail space in the Detroit area. Department spokesman Russ Marlan tells The Detroit News for a recent story that the result has been increased costs to transport parolees to and from Jackson. He says Corrections officials are searching for 400 to 500 spots to house those suspected of violating parole. About half of the state's 20,000 parolees live in the Detroit area. Marlan says Michigan's prison population has increased by about 1,000 since the beginning of the year because of parolees going back to prison, a decline in the number being paroled and a slight increase in court-ordered prison sentences. As of last Friday, the state had about 43,800 prisoners. Published: Wed, May 23, 2012