The Michigan Department of Corrections is recommending that former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick be incarcerated in jail after a judge ruled he violated the terms of his probation on several fronts.
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge David Groner found Kilpatrick did not meet required financial reporting obligations nor did he turn over his tax refunds as was mandated as a condition of his reduced sentence. Russ Marlan, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, said they will recommend jail time rather than prison, which could be an option for the judge at Kilpatrick’s sentencing hearing, the Detroit Free Press report.
If Kilpatrick is ordered back into confinement in May, he would go to the Wayne County Jail if the sentence is one year or less. Any sentence of more than a year must be served in prison.
Kilpatrick’s New York-based spokesperson Mike Paul is hopeful that the judge will show leniency with his wayward client and not send Kilpatrick to prison. “We also know that anything can happen between then and now, especially with faith, prayers and an open mind for other solutions,” Paul said.
In the jail over prison argument, Marlan said Kilpatrick has a couple of things in his favor: he has made some payments on his $1-million restitution, he has procured gainful employment as a sales representative for Covisint, a subsidiary of Detroit-based Compuware, and this is his first probation violation. Kilpatrick currently resides in Southlake, Texas, a distant suburb of Dallas.
Marlan said that if Kilpatrick goes to jail, there could be a work-release program, but that would be up to the judge and county sheriff. He said probation officials probably would be asked for their opinion. Just as important would be the willingness of Kilpatrick’s current employer to agree to such arrangements.
“No one has talked to Compuware about a work-release program,” said company spokesman Bill McGraw. –terry shropshire
