2023-2024 Legislative Lookback
While the final days of this cycle were marked by chaos and conflict, advocates like you did help get several important pieces of legislation across the finish line, including:
Chuck Warpehoski
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Michigan Coalition Calls for Second Look Legislation to Alleviate Staffing Shortages in State Prisons
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…
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Michigan Criminal Justice Policy: A Look Back at 2023
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…
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Second Look Lobby Day October 19
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Proposed Legislation Restores Limited Records Access for Incarcerated People
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…
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Impact Language Glossary & Webinar: How to Use Language Within Media to Shape Perception and Policy
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.
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Looking ahead in 2023: What is on the horizon in justice reform in Michigan?
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…
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A break down of Gov Whitmer’s proposed 2024 budget
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…
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Looking back to 2022: What happened with legislation on mass incarceration in Michigan?
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…
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MI-CEMI Statement on Police Surveillance Technology
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…