Michigan Democrats have recently proposed an extreme legislative package that would willingly endanger so many southeastern Michigan residents that it’s difficult to believe it’s real.

But it is.

A series of Democratic bills are set to potentially release some of Michigan’s most dangerous criminals currently serving time for murders, rapes, vicious assaults, terrorist acts, delivery of fentanyl and other deadly drugs, and more.

Nearly one-third of all convicted criminals could be released under the Democratic plan, with more than 9,000 being released almost immediately.

The Democrat sponsors give their series of bills various euphemistic names: “Second Look,” “Criminal Justice Reform,” “Bail Reform;” but the bills will hamstring judges and require release or vastly reduced sentences for many of Michigan’s most violent criminals.

Under the Democratic bill, House Bill 4556, for example, judges are required to consider a wide variety of documents and testimony that are otherwise inadmissible at trial. This bill effectively mandates “evidence” in support of these convicted criminals’ release.

And by dictating the evidence a judge must consider in re-sentencing, Democratic legislators will ensure that even the most violent criminals will be considered for release after serving only 10 years.

Most people know the horrific acts of Ethan Crumbley, who murdered four of his classmates and wounded seven others at Oxford High School in Oakland County. Under the Democrat bill, HB 4160, Crumbley could walk out of jail a free man at a fairly young age.

The release of Crumbley and other criminals like him is an affront to justice and will revictimize Oxford residents while denying the community sufficient time to heal. The devastating emotional effects on victims and their families cannot be overstated.

Elias Abuelazam is 6’4″ and 275 pounds. He’s a serial killer who stabbed three to death and attempted to kill six others. Though he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, Abuelazam will also benefit from the presumption that his sentence “must be reduced to time served” under the Democrats’ so-called “Second Chance” bill.

Jon Siesling brutally stabbed his mother and two younger sisters, 15-year-old Katelin and 6-year-old Leah. Despite the horrific nature of his crimes, Siesling would also receive consideration for leniency from the Democrats’ bills.

Both mass murderers, Abuelazam, and Siesling, will be eligible for release under the Democrats’ prisoner plan.

These few examples hardly touch the depth of depravity among the convicts that Democratic legislators want to let free, but they are illustrative.

Law enforcement groups, including the Michigan Sheriffs Association, the Chiefs of Police, and the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan, strongly oppose these dangerous bills.

Wayne, Oakland and Macomb County residents need to send a clear message: It’s time for the state Legislature to stand with law enforcement and protect victims and their families.

It’s time the Legislature showed concern about the law-abiding citizens of our state, instead of focusing on how to get the most violent criminals out of prison and back on our neighborhood streets as quickly as possible.

We urge you to contact your legislators and ask them to oppose these radical bills.

Rep. Tom Kuhn, R-Troy, represents Michigan’s 57th district.

Rep. Donni Steele, R-Oakland County, represents Michigan’s 54th district.

Published in the Detroit News