THE VISION
The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration is a broad-based, statewide, non-partisan collaboration representing non-profit, faith-based, advocacy, grassroots, and service organizations united to end mass incarceration in Michigan. The Collaborative seeks to create and restore healthy communities.
MI-CEMI has adopted the following goals and objectives to be effective by the year 2035:
- Preventing Incarceration and Promoting Holistic Public Safety: Every community across Michigan makes use of the full toolbox of strategies to improve public safety and prevent incarceration, including alternative emergency response, community violence intervention, restorative justice diversion and deflection, and more.
- Length of Stay: There is a 50% reduction in the average length of stay of persons in prison through the implementation of sentencing and parole reforms
- Programming and conditions: Every prison and jail provides a safe and supportive environment where everyone can grow and develop the skills they need to succeed.
- Reentry: There is an annual reduction in the return-to-prison rate for returning citizens through removing barriers to reentry such as job and housing discrimination and through improving reentry supports such as peer-led reentry and access to stable housing, employment, and medical care.
THE ISSUES
Michigan’s prisons and jails continue to contribute to the problem of mass incarceration in the United States. With 28 state prisons and 92 county jail facilities, Michigan incarcerates approximately 33,000 people in state facilities and thousands more in local jails. The state allocates nearly 20% of its General Fund to prisons, totaling over $2 billion per year.
Communities of color—especially Black men—remain disproportionately represented in the prison system. Additionally, people with mental illness and substance use disorders are often incarcerated due to inadequate access to community-based treatment and support.
While Michigan has made progress by raising the age of adult prosecution to 18, the state continues to face challenges from its historical reliance on incarcerating youth in the adult system. This has caused lasting harm to young people and their communities.
The ongoing reliance on punitive measures instead of community-based solutions places heavy financial and emotional burdens on incarcerated individuals, their families, and their communities. To create safer and healthier communities, Michigan must prioritize investments in mental health care, substance use treatment, rehabilitation programs, and community support services rather than expanding its prison system.
WORKING TOGETHER
With thousands of people across Michigan dedicated to ending mass incarceration, meaningful change is within our reach. The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration is committed to harnessing the collective power of individuals and organizations to reduce prison and jail populations and build a more just and equitable legal system.
MI-CEMI members meet regularly to coordinate efforts, connect with national movements addressing systemic inequality and mass incarceration, mobilize communities for action, and share their knowledge and expertise. By working together, we strengthen our collective voice and drive impactful change across Michigan.
CURRENT PRIORITY PROJECTS
Priority projects are chosen by the Steering Team at their annual retreat. All projects must align with our areas of focus, and bring us closer to our goals and objectives. The priority projects for 2022 are:
In addition to these projects, MI-CEMI is involved in and supportive of various other initiatives, including these in 2022:
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- Elimination of cash bail in Michigan
- Clean Slate implementation
- Sex Offender Registration Act reform
PAST PRIORITY PROJECTS & SUCCESSES
Learn more about our past priority projects and successes.