People v. Merkerson

We granted defendant’s application for leave to pursue this interlocutory appeal so that we could determine whether the Detroit House of Correction (DeHoCo) constitutes "a penal institution of this state” for the purposes of Michigan’s 180-day rule. MCL 780.131; MSA 28.969(1).* 1 We hold that application of the 180-day rule to inmates confined at DeHoCo will depend on the circumstances of their assignment to that facility. Where an inmate is sentenced to a term of imprisonment for one year or less and is thus confined in DeHoCo in lieu of in a county jail under MCL 769.28; MSA 28.1097(1), he…