LANSING - Michigan’s parole system may be in for a shakeup after a new report by the Auditor General’s office exposed problems with the state's system.

Several findings detailed instances in which poor record-keeping left parolees unattended or unaccounted for.

The auditor general found that the Department of Corrections failed to fully comply with supervision policies, monitor a contract agency responsible for dealing with parolees and update its database of prisoner information.

The investigation cited a dozen cases in which a parolee’s supervision level had been improperly lowered, resulting in missed contacts and substance-abuse tests.

The auditor general did not evaluate the contract agency responsible for monitoring parolees, but the report noted that there were more than 1,000 outstanding warrants for parole violators, including nearly 100 for violent criminals or chronic substance-abusers.

The report also recommended that Michigan obtain data from other states, to aid in finding parolees who have fled. Of the 1,315 parole violators who were counted as missing between January 2004 and February 2007, data from other states contained information on 203. Several were violent criminals or persistent substance abusers, according to the report, which noted “improper monitoring of parolees increases the risk to public safety.”

The auditor general is the independent investigation arm of the Legislature.

Russ Marlen, the Corrections Department public information officer and a former parole officer, said, "They’re pointing out issues that could be improved, and that’s a good thing.”

He said there is always a risk of human error and that the department was well aware of the need for improvement.

"A number of these things they point out, we already know about, and are working on," Marlen said.

The report also said some parole officers failed to document when parolees had been approved for discharge. Although that is a potentially serious matter, Marlen said that no parolees were improperly discharged, and that necessary reforms are already underway.

The report did acknowledge positive aspects of the department’s performance, saying that policies for processing parole violators have been effective. It also reported high compliance with other policies, and noted plans already underway by the department to resolve problems.

Sandra Girard, executive director of Prison Legal Services of Michigan in Jackson, a non-profit group that provides advice and assistance to prisoners and parolees, said the audit ignored the real issues of the success of parolees upon returning to society.

Girard found the level of compliance with documentation impressive, given the large amount of paperwork that parole officers must fill out. She went on to say that paperwork detracts from the greater duty of parole officers to provide help to offenders.

“I suspect that complying with these bookkeeping requirements prevents the agents from devoting the personal attention to the people on their caseload that can be the most effective tool for success on parole.”

According to Marlen, the department is working on the problems cited in the report, as well as working on changes that may allow parole officers more discretion in determining how to monitor parolees.

There are nearly 18,000 Michigan parolees, a figure that has remained fairly constant in recent years. It had been steadily increasing until 2004, but has been declining slowly since then.