There are no child molesters at Kitwen - or any other work camp. The prisons have a screening process that only allows non-violent prisoners that are close to their out dates to be housed there. If they were so dangerous, why do you suppose in 18 years nobody escaped and went on a crime spree? Why do you suppose they are allowed to work as virtual slave labor supporting local business year-round? Why do they put chainsaw in their hands and send them out in to the woods? Why - because they are not a threat to anyone, that's why.

Second - whoever thinks prison health care is top-notch is ignorant. An ambulance ride for a headache? Yeah right. A prisoner is lucky to get aspirin for a broken bone.

The reason these prisons are being shut down is because the parole board has decided they should start letting people go when their sentence is up, instead of flopping them every year to keep people in prisons just so they can provide jobs.

There are plenty of people that need to be in prison, and the prisons do a good job of keeping them in. But when a judge sentences someone to 2 years for possession of marijuana, maybe it's time to let them go, instead of keeping them for 5 years just so an uneducated redneck can have a state job in the middle of nowhere.

Why not move the Houghton County Jail to Camp Kitwen.
Why build a new building.

More "change" we can believe in.

i agree 100% with jenny. prison is supposed to be punishment and a crime deterrent. however, when we give criminals more freedoms than the people on the outside, this is what you get. we may as well not even have prisons. some people commit crimes solely because they would rather be in prison than on the street. get rid of this free healthcare, gym membership, meal plan, cable, library, lawyer business. its really starting to hurt my pocketbook. if you really want someone to behave, turn our prisons into solid isolation cells with a toilet, bed, and shower, where they feed the lawbreakers crappy cafeteria food. none of this youre allowed out of your cell. no fraternizing, no excercize, no medical attention, no cable, no nothing.

If the state wants to save money ! why don't they go to the courts to curtail some of the frivoluos law suits filed by prisoners. They are costing the state alot of money. The state instead of contesting prisoner allegations just settle out of court, same old song and dance. If they cannot afford to file a lawsuit they can borrow from the indigent money they receive $ 10 a month provided by you the tax payer. They file lawsuits for living conditions , staff corruption and so on. They have more rights than the victims they have violated. Not to mention the 24/7 medical attention they receive . If you are a prisoner and have a headache no lie you are entitled to a $ 3000.00 dollar ambulance ride. If you are a prisoner manipulating the system and so called overdose on the medication at the exspense of the tax payer you are also entitled to a ride. If you become homeless or cenial and can't take care yourself commit a B&E check yourself into the crowbar hotel and you will be entitled to full medical,full dental and a ride to the hospital.Then find yourself a jailhouse lawyer and stick it to the State . Shame on TV 6 for not mentioning why ther are so many empty beds. Its not because of low crime rate, its because of a plan called MPRI. Mochigan Prisoner Release Incentive. Look into it, TV 6.

What will they do with all the Child Molesters?Let them out on early release,so they can come after our kids..Good Grief..Way to go Jennifer Granholm..and yes I can complain because I made sure not to vote for her,to the people that did thanks a whole heck of alot, look at the trouble we are in now..

All these "prisons" closing and State Troopers laid off has be wondering if we really needed them in the first place.