CONTACT: Will Mesinger, Will@MerakiCommsGroup.com, (518) 338-7119 (Lansing, Michigan) – Today, the Second Look Michigan Coalition released the following statement responding to the severe staffing shortages in Michigan’s prisons: Today, there are hundreds of people sitting in Michigan’s prisons who pose no threat to society, have served significant time, and in many cases, are unable to…
Earlier in 2023 we previewed major criminal justice reform proposals that advocates were eying for the 2023-2024 legislative cycle. After one year into a 2-year cycle, where do these criminal legal reforms stand? We have seen several wins, especially with the Juvenile Justice reform package and several funding requests. Other substantive policy changes such as…
As an official endorsement from the Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI), we fully endorse Representative Stephanie Young’s proposed legislation, House Bill 4427, aimed at restoring limited Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) access to incarcerated individuals. We express our gratitude to Rep.Young for her efforts in bringing forth this critical legislation, which we believe…
MI-CEMI’s recent webinar, “How to Use Language Within Media to Shape Perception and Policy.” Featured a panel of experts providing hands-on learning experience that demonstrated how we can collectively use language to shift the narratives surrounding mass incarceration, as well as dispute myths and misconceptions.
MI-CEMI represents a broad spectrum of advocates pushing for change in the criminal legal system: from grassroots to grasstops, reform to abolition, and all across the state, our members have a wide range of perspectives and priorities. Legislative priorities are still shaking out for 2023, and you can expect many of ideas that didn’t move…
Last week Governor Whitmer introduced her proposed FY2024 budget. It’s a big document, so we wanted to share with you some highlights as they relate to ending mass incarceration. Remember, this is just the governor’s proposal: the legislature will go through their own budget process, so the final budget will look different. The following topics…
Note: There are a lot of legislative efforts to change Michigan’s criminal legal system, and it’s hard to keep track of everything that’s going on. That’s why one service MI-CEMI offers to our members is a legislative tracker (2021-2022 tracker, 2023-2024 tracker). If this information is useful to you, request to sign up for regular…
The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) has prepared this official statement to share our position on the use of surveillance technology as a public safety tool in Michigan cities, including majority Black and Brown cities such as Detroit, Flint, Southfield, Grand Rapids, Pontiac, Ypsilanti Township, among other cities. MI-CEMI does not support the…
The 2022 Michigan Reentry Convening on July 12 at the Lansing Community College West Campus brought together 130 formerly incarcerated people, nonprofit service providers, advocacy organizations, and government agencies to: