Michigan sheriffs tell House committee jails are strained; request fixes on mental‑health beds and reimbursements

Members of the Michigan Sheriffs Association told the Michigan House Judiciary Committee in Lansing that county jails are strained by a shortage of mental‑health treatment beds, staffing shortfalls and outdated state reimbursement rates, and asked lawmakers to adopt a series of statutory changes to ease the pressure.

The request came during an informational presentation by Matt Saxton, executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs Association, joined by Deputy Director Dan Fonas and Sheriffs Michael Poulan of Muskegon County and Troy Goodnough of Monroe County. Saxton said the association — which represents Michigan’s 83 elected sheriffs — employs about 10,000 public‑safety professionals statewide and operates multiple volunteer and training programs, including a victim‑services volunteer network and a contingency team that assists counties after line‑of‑duty deaths.

The sheriffs pressed several legislative priorities they said would reduce jail overcrowding and operational strain. Among the items they outlined were: a legislative option to waive a 1,000‑hour reemployment cap for some county pension systems so retired employees can return to work; increased per‑diem reimbursements from the Michigan Department of Corrections for county housing of MDOC violators and other sentenced people who remain in county custody; a remedy or reimbursement when MDOC delays taking custody of sentenced people; a short extension to the time MDOC has to accept certain first‑degree murder commitments; and statutory changes to allow adult and juvenile…