Two new reports are providing a comprehensive look at some of the issues youth and adults are facing within our justice system and recommendations for justice reform in Michigan.

The Hudson-Webber Foundation, in partnership with The Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Michigan League for Public Policy, has released the reports which were developed from data and input gathered during the Michigan Safety and Justice Roundtable.

“The roundtable and resulting reports reflect input of diverse leaders and experts from across disciplines who came together with a shared mission to improve outcomes for thousands of justice-involved adults and youth across Michigan,” Melanca Clark, president and CEO of the Hudson-Webber Foundation and CMF Trustee said.

Data at a glance:

• In January 2018, nearly 99,000 Michigan residents were under the supervision of the Department of Corrections, including those on probation and parole.

• Michigan incarcerates 40,000 people at any given time in 31 prisons.

• 95 percent of those who are incarcerated will return home.

• More than 10,000 Michigan youth are arrested every year, 90 percent of whom are arrested for non-violent offenses.

• Michigan is one of only four states that automatically considers 17-year-olds as adults (instead of juveniles) in the justice system.

The two reports examine a range of areas and issues affecting those who are considered justice-involved, including data reporting, poverty, lengths of stay and much more. We’re taking a look at a few areas that particularly relate to philanthropy.

Expanding community-based care for justice-involved youth
The report shares that Michigan is the 6^th highest in the nation when it comes to confining youth. The data also shows that those who are arrested before the age of 18 have a higher likelihood of being arrested as adults. The report recommends education and awareness about community-based alternatives to incarceration for youth. In addition, the report highlights the proposed legislation which seeks to raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 17 to 18 and prohibit placing youth charged as adults in adult facilities.

Community policing
According to the report, 88 percent of police departments do some form of community policing and it can be quite effective, particularly when it’s building trust between law enforcement and communities. However, there are barriers such as strained relationships between law enforcement and underserved communities or communities of color, a lack of funding for such innovative programs and the difficulty in recruiting and training officers while also ensuring they reflect the diverse community they serve.

What’s working
The report shares that Flint’s Neighborhood Service Center, supported by the Ruth Mott Foundation, provides neighborhood service officers who are on-site to provide crime prevention information, file police reports for residents and document blight complaints. This ensures residents have a point of contact and can free up law enforcement officers for community policing efforts.

Overrepresentation of underserved populations in Michigan prisons
In Michigan, 56 percent of those incarcerated are people of color, while 20 percent of our state’s population are people of color. In addition, two-thirds of Michigan’s prison population has a history of substance abuse and one-fifth of prisoners have been diagnosed with a mental illness. The report suggests that community-based alternatives to incarceration could better support these individuals.

Potential action items:

• Focus on cross-system partnerships to increase incentives and opportunities for local jurisdictions to implement community-based programming. The report shares this could include restorative justice practices or therapeutic courts.

• Support educational opportunities for anti-bias trainings, best practices for community-based services and use of restorative justice techniques.

Removing post incarceration barriers
The report shares that since 2005 Michigan has strategically made efforts to reduce recidivism rates from 45.7 percent to 28 percent. However, that still means approximately one in every three people released will return to prison. Connecting individuals with support and opportunities once they return to their communities is critical.

What’s working
The Detroit Justice Center (DJC), which the McGregor Fund helped to launch in 2018 with a lead gift, is a community law center which addresses the harmful consequences of mass incarceration and the criminalization of poverty for Detroit families. The DJC helps to remove legal barriers facing those who have been released from incarceration, including restoring suspended driver’s licenses and expunging criminal records.

The report also highlights the work of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) Vocational Village which provides individuals nearing release with hands-on work in carpentry, plumbing, electrical and other vocational trades. In 2016, the Office of Foundation Liaison invited CMF members on a site visit of the program at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility.

Both reports provide an extensive look into our justice system and policies to help provide equitable opportunities for those who are justice-involved.

As for next steps, Clark shares: “These reports provide specific, tangible ideas and resources for the next generation of policymakers in our state. We hope they will serve as a blueprint for creating a non-partisan and comprehensive vision for fair and effective justice in Michigan.”

Want more?

Read the full reports and connect with resources from the Michigan Safety and Justice Roundtable.