The state Department of Corrections says it’s improving how it supervises parolees and how it handles parole violators. This week, the family of a murder victim filed a lawsuit against the state. The family told The Detroit Free Press the murder of the elderly Royal Oak woman could have been prevented. A pair of parole violators have been charged with the crime.
Corrections spokesman Russ Marlan says the department won’t comment directly on the lawsuit. But he says the department has ramped up its supervision of parolees over the past 12 months.
“The number of parolees who are committing crimes and coming back to prison, that number has been declining," he says. "We’ve been focused on reducing recidivism and enhancing supervision within the communities.”
Marlan says parole officers work more closely now with police departments, and are more aggressive in tracking down felons who violate the terms of their parole.