LANSING- While inmates in county jails spend time there for being bad, being good could get them out sooner if new legislation passes.

A bill would change the rules sheriffs follow in rewarding good behavior with time off a sentence.

Currently a sheriff can take one day off a sentence for every six days of the sentence that a prisoner behaves well.

Under the proposal, a sheriff could take two days off for every seven good behavior days.

The primary sponsor, Rep. John Espinoza, D-Croswell, said the change is necessary in times of economic difficulty.

Well-behaved inmates "still offend some people and they're still hurting people, but they're not a danger to life or limb," he said. "Those people that we're mad at and put in jail are costing the taxpayer an awful lot of money,

"The sheriff can conceivably, if the inmate is well-behaved and has served his time well, release him earlier," he said. "Of course, that relieves the burden on taxpayer expense for housing the individual, and he can go out into his community and go back to work hopefully and be self-sustaining."

He also said that the bill wouldn't take away any authority of county sheriffs' departments.

"The sheriff has total discretion. We are not mandating the sheriff to issue the good time, but he has the discretion."

However, not all sheriffs support the legislation. For example, Macomb County Sheriff Mark Hackel said it would require him to release prisoners early.

"The issue isn't whether I can give them the time or not, it's that that's afforded to them if that legislation goes through. The only thing that's up to me is whether I take it away," he said, adding that he believes prisoners should serve their entire sentence.

"The judge gives someone some time. I think they should serve that time, and obviously when that time is up, they go back out." But if the legislation passes, Hackel said, he would follow its guidelines. 

Another sponsor, Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, said he supports the bill because of his previous experiences as a sheriff and a jail administrator.

The bill would not only decrease overcrowding, but the good behavior time would help a prisoner's reentry to society, Jones said.

"One of the best methods of controlling the behavior of jail inmates is taking away their good time," said Jones.

"When inmates are good in jail, there's so many things they can go to. There's AA classes, there's drug and substance abuse classes, there's GED programs where they can get their diploma. There are many self-help programs available in Michigan jails if inmates are good and pursue these self-help programs," he said.

Jones added, "For many inmates, it's their final opportunity to turn their lives around before they end up in prison."

Another sponsor, Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, said the proposal would give sheriffs a smarter system.

"The good-time calculation, one day for every six days doesn't work in the real world of releasing prisoners from county jails. By going to two days for every seven days of good time, we're approximating what other states are doing now," said Meadows.