Today a coalition of organizations released their 2026 Michigan Budget Recommendations to Invest in Crime Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Reentry.
Tell your lawmaker to support the budget recommendations.
With Michigan seeing record low rates of violent crime and low rates of recidivism, the FY2026 budget is an opportunity to double down on the programs that prevent violence, support rehabilitation, and promote successful reintegration of people as they exit the criminal legal system.
As the legislature finalized the FY2026 budget, we call on lawmakers to:
- Invest in violence prevention by funding the creation of the juvenile defense standards proposed in HB 4070, funding the bipartisan sentencing commission, and ensuring continuation of the Community Violence Intervention grants that have helped bring Michigan’s violent crime rates to historic lows.
- Invest in rehabilitation by removing counterproductive medical copays, expanding educational opportunities in prisons, and ensuring access to quality appellate defense.
- Invest in reentry. Supporting people as they transition from prison is the best way to prevent recidivism. Michigan can strengthen the reentry process by investing in reentry transitional healthcare and continuing to fund peer reentry navigators.
These investments improve public safety, reduce long-term prison costs, and improve economic stability.