Senate Bill Would Count Prison Population at Home Addresses for Census
State Senator Sylvia Santana’s bill would make “pre-incarceration addresses” of incarcerated people count towards voting districts.
State Senator Sylvia Santana (D-Detroit) is trying to change how Michigan’s incarcerated population is counted this upcoming Census.
“When it comes to true representation, we want to make sure that they’re represented back in their counties.” – State Senator Sylvia Santana
She represents Michigan’s 3rd District, which includes parts of Detroit, Dearborn and Melvindale. Santana recently introduced a bill that would alter how residency in Michigan’s correctional system is reported, changing it to the person’s address before they were imprisoned.
“Most of those individuals are being accounted for in those areas of [the Michigan Department of Corrections,] but they do not live in that area,” Santana says. “When it comes to actual true representation, we want to make sure that they’re represented back in their counties.”
Click on the player above to listen to an interview with State Sen. Sylvia Santana on counting Michigan’s incarcerated population.
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