Michigan Sentencing Commission Public Comment
September 17, 2026
Good afternoon.
My name is Tony Gant. I am the Director of Policy for Safe & Just Michigan. I am also a formerly incarcerated person who spent twenty years incarcerated in the Michigan Department of Corrections before returning home in 2015.
First, I want to thank the Legislature and the members of this Commission for reinstating the Michigan Sentencing Commission. Sentencing policy is among the most consequential public policy decisions we make. It impacts not only the people who are sentenced, but also their families, victims, communities, correctional staff, taxpayers, and the overall health and safety of our state.
As the Commission begins its work, I want to encourage members to think carefully about the role of lived experience in shaping sentencing policy.
This Commission includes judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, legislators, and other professionals who bring important expertise to the table. But there is another form of expertise that is equally valuable: the expertise that comes from living through the consequences of sentencing decisions.
People who have spent years or decades incarcerated understand firsthand how sentencing policies affect rehabilitation, prison conditions, family connections, reentry outcomes, employment opportunities, housing stability, and public safety. Their experiences provide insights that cannot be learned from reports, courtrooms, or legislative hearings alone.
The Legislature created a seat intended to bring the perspective of formerly incarcerated people into this body. I encourage the Commission to honor that intent by creating additional opportunities for directly impacted people to meaningfully participate in this work.
Michigan has one of the largest populations of formerly incarcerated people in the country. We are not simply stakeholders in this conversation—we are subject matter experts. Our experiences can help identify what works, what does not work, and how sentencing policy can better promote accountability, rehabilitation, public safety, and successful reentry.
As this Commission develops recommendations for the Legislature, I hope you will commit to making lived experience a central part of the conversation rather than an afterthought.
Nothing about us without us.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Tony Gant
Director of Policy
Safe & Just Michigan (SJM)
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