Sec. 1a.
As used in this act:
(a) "Assets" means property, tangible or intangible, real or personal, belonging to or due a prisoner or former prisoner including income or payments to such prisoner from social security, worker's compensation, veteran's compensation, pension benefits, previously earned salary or wages, bonuses, annuities, retirement benefits, or from any other source whatsoever, but does not include any of the following:
(i) The homestead of the prisoner up to $50,000.00 in value.
(ii) Money saved by the prisoner from wages and bonuses paid the prisoner while he or she was confined to a state correctional facility.
(b) "Cost of care" means the cost to the department for providing transportation, room, board, clothing, security, medical, and other normal living expenses of prisoners, and the cost to the department for providing college-level classes or programs to prisoners, as determined by the department.
(c) "Department" means the department of corrections of this state.
(d) "Director" means the director of the department.
(e) "Prisoner" means any person who is under the jurisdiction of the department and is either confined in any state correctional facility or is under the continuing jurisdiction of the department.
(f) "State correctional facility" means a facility or institution which houses a prisoner population under the jurisdiction of the department. State correctional facility includes a correctional camp, community correction center, state prison, and a state reformatory.
History: Add. 1984, Act 282, Imd. Eff. Dec. 20, 1984 ;-- Am. 1996, Act 286, Imd. Eff. June 17, 1996
Constitutionality: The Prison Reimbursement Act was intended to apply to all inmates of the state penal system and was not limited to the inmates of the three penal institutions named in the act and in existence at the time of its passage; nor is the act violative of the constitutional guarantee of equal protection. State Treasurer v Wilson, 423 Mich 138; 347 NW2d 770 (1985).