By C1 Staff
LANSING, Mich. — The director of the Michigan Department of Corrections says he doesn’t believe 2014 was any more difficult for corrections in his state, but says 2015 will see the fixes needed.
MLive reported in an interview with Dan Heyns that he’s proud to keep the DOC running under budget for the last four years, though it hasn’t received the attention he wishes it had.
Issues with Aramark filled headlines, but Heyns says they are working toward a less costly food service. He says the contract with Aramark has saved taxpayers over $12 million.
Other high profile incidents in 2014 included the escape of a murderer from the Ionia Correctional Facility, who abducted a woman before being captured a day later. The escape put a spotlight on multiple failures of personnel and technology.
The ACLU also announced an investigation into potential human rights violations at the Huron Women’s Correctional Facility, which was allegedly hog-tying inmates and denying them water.
“Corrections has been a convenient target for lots of people, so the stories tend to be negative,” Heyns said. “It’s about offenders and crime and so on.”
Heyns says he’s proud of the dropping recidivism rate and how the department is living within its financial means. He’s also proud of how the Detroit Detention Center is working, which allows Detroit Police Department officers to be working the streets instead of lock up.
Goals for next year include bringing the MDOC’s information technology up to date and recruiting more people to work for the department.
He plans to continue on in his role as director of the MDOC after Gov. Rick Snyder’s re-election.