MI Prisoners Can Say Goodbye to Loved Ones by Attending Funerals Virtually

Michigan prisoners can now say their goodbyes to loved ones by attending funerals virtually.

Regardless of why they're incarcerated, prisoners will now be able to attend services of immediate family members virtually. Once approved, the inmates or their families must pay the entire cost of the funeral service (video feed) in the prison.

Apparently, prior to this new change, inmates could only attend funerals in person if they were low-security offenders and had an off-duty staff member volunteer to escort them according to Fox 2 Detroit.

I guess I never really gave it much thought before, I always just assumed prisoners were not allowed to attend funerals at all because they were locked up. It's not clear if low-security inmates will still be allowed to attend in person or if this is now their only option.

This new funeral service option will be provided to all inmates regardless of their security level.

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Corrections Department Director Heidi Washington:

Any death is tragic and a cause of great sadness that only compounds when you are not able to pay your final respects with your family. While these individuals have broken the law, they are still human beings and helping them to maintain connections to family and to the community that most will someday return to are important steps to long-term public safety.

Some people feel that inmates should not have an option at all when it comes to this topic but everyone should be allowed to say their goodbyes.

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