Michigan’s absurd laws criminalize the population

American Legislator ^ | 12-8-14 | Cara Sullivan

[ThethoughtsofGreg]

Did you know that Michigan has a higher incarceration rate than Iran, Russia and Cuba?

This is partly because Michigan state law, like that of other states and the federal government, has gone overboard in criminalizing activities that are not inherently wrong. This means Michiganians could, and probably do, break the law without even knowing it.

According to a new report by the Mackinac Center and Manhattan Institute, Michigan has created an average of 45 criminal offenses a year — 44 percent of which are felonies — over the past six years.

The rapid expansion of criminal laws has brought the total number of criminal offenses in Michigan to more than 3,100. The state’s penal code contains 918 sections, which is eight times the number of the Model Penal Code and significantly more than the neighboring states of Ohio, Illinois and Wisconsin.

The rapid growth of criminal laws — a phenomenon known as overcriminalization — presents a problem for Michiganians: With a long and complicated state code that criminalizes behavior that is not intuitively criminal, how can individuals remain compliant and stay out of the criminal justice system?

Historically, the criminal justice system has required proof of criminal intent to convict an individual of a crime. However, a growing number of public welfare laws has increased the number of crimes that fall short of this standard.

[molson209]

In a few more years when Michigan is taken over by Deer things will improve Big Buck Time

[JimRed]

“There’s no way to rule innocent men.
The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals.
Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them.
One declares so many things to be a crime
that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” — Ayn Rand

[lee martell]

I’m a felon, he’s a felon, she a felon, oooh, would’nt you like to be felon too?!

[Blood of Tyrants]

That is the quote I thought of.

[TigersEye]

Inmate 1) "What are ya in for?"

Inmate 2) "I didn't clean my ferret's cage the right way."

(general murmur of awe in the cell block)

[CreviceTool]

They have not incarcerated enough for my taste. Yesterday, in a Detroit suburb I was on a sidewalk by a mall during the Lions game halftime. Suddenly a late model sedan blows through a stop sign at 30MPH through cross traffic and straight into the mall vehicle entrance.

I ran after the car as I was certain the driver must have had a heart attack or some medical emergency. I found the car stopped and running in the middle of oncoming traffic. Sure I would find the driver slumped over in the front seat, I looked in the car.

Nobody was in the running car. I looked for driver and soon young black man in gang-banger attire came out of a Chinese restaurant with a take-out bag and roared off.

Disobedience is a cultural thing with a segment of American society. God forbid if the Kung Pao Chicken taken too long, he might have felt justified to “Burn this b*tch down!”

[tiki]

Um, I might know someone who doesn’t wear their seatbelt.

[joe fonebone]

i read this, and came up with a solution 25 years ago..

the 10 to 1 amendment to the state and federal constitution..

for every law you pass, you MUST repeal 10 laws..

in the vast majority of times this is easy to obtain..

[clearcarbon]

"I looked for driver and soon young black man in gang-banger attire came out of a Chinese restaurant with a take-out bag and roared off."

I thought kwame kilpatrick was still in jail.