Some criminal code reforms could be coming to the city of Benton Harbor.
Speaking at a Monday meeting, Interim City Attorney Sara Senica said the city is in the process of decriminalizing some minor offenses that previously would count as misdemeanors. She said they would become civil infractions instead.
“Right now, a lot of our more minor offenses are considered misdemeanors,” Senica said. “As you can imagine, if someone gets charged with a misdemeanor and they don’t show up to court, even if they think it’s a pretty minor crime like throwing something out the window — littering I’ll use as an example — people think, ‘Well, all I did was litter, all I did was throw something out the window. It can’t that serious.’”
But if that person misses a court date, a warrant could be put out for them. Senica said they then wind up with a criminal record.
“We’re restoring justice to people. We’re making it easier for them to get jobs. They’re not going to have these misdemeanors on their record. They may have a civil infraction.”
Senica said this effort, now being discussed in committee, is only focusing on minor, non-violent offenses. She noted in most communities, the offenses being looked at would be civil infractions, but in Benton Harbor, they’re misdemeanors.
Senica credited the Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety with leading the effort.
