Lawmakers finalize new state budget, leave some priorities unfunded

On July 2, 2026, state legislators announced a compromise spending plan. The total budget for FY 2027 is estimated to be $84 billion. This is below the executive and Senate versions of the budget, which totaled $88.1 billion, but was above the House version of the budget, which totaled $75.8 billion.

Early in the budget process, we and other advocates in the criminal legal reform space rallied to ensure that our priorities would be reflected in the upcoming budget. We knew that this was going to be a challenging fiscal advocacy year for us because: 1) criminal legal reform was not mentioned as one of the governor's budget priorities in February, and; 2) the House leadership has been openly hostility to transformative criminal legal reform.

We were largely successful, but some of our issues were reduced or cut from the upcoming state budget. Funding for community corrections, offender success (OS) programming, parole and probation services, the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, and specialty courts (like drug, veterans, and mental health courts) were preserved at the level asked for in the executive version of the budget. Higher education in prison, OS programming, and the young adult lifer re-sentencing initiative were funded at levels slightly above what was asked requested. OS services, legal services for incarcerated people, and parole board operations were included in the budget, but at reduced levels. It's important to note that funding for the Sentencing Commission and Michigan Legal Help was eliminated from the budget entirely.

It is alarming to see that funding for the Sentencing Commission was cut after we worked so many years to create the body. The commission has already met two times, and there are no plans to disband it. We are hopeful funding can be revisited in any upcoming supplemental budget bill.

SJM releases issue brief on new Medically Frail Parole law 

In 2019, Michigan lawmakers passed our state's Medically Frail Parole law. Its intent was to create a pathway to parole for people who are incarcerated with significant disabilities or medical needs, such as memory care or advanced cancer care. While prisons are responsible for the health of those who live there, no prison is set up to give the kind of care normally obtained at a hospital or nursing home. While the intent of the law was good, it was narrowly written. As a result, just one person was paroled under the Medically Frail Parole law in its first five years of existence. That's why, in 2024, Michigan lawmakers passed a law to improve the existing Medically Frail Law.

We now have a full year's worth of data since that new law took effect. Senior Policy & Research Specialist Cassie Larrieux has looked at how many people sought parole under the law, how many releases were granted, and why some were denied. In all, 18 people have been paroled under the new Medically Frail Parole law.

We invite you to read our issue brief, "Making the most of Michigan's Medically Frail Parole law," at bit.ly/MiMedFrail and to share the findings with your friends and colleagues.

To learn more, visit us at www.safeandjustmi.org. If you would like to join our efforts, email us at info@safeandjustmi.org or sign up for our newsletter at bit.ly/sjmsignup.

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