Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration

Michigan Budgets: Where the money really goes.
2025-09-12 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Detroit)
Tony Gant and Chuck Warpehoski about the MI State budget will cover what it funds, who makes the decisions, and how it affects justice-impacted communities.

MI-CEMI Communications Table: Leveraging Podcasts Without Starting Your Own
2025-09-18 12:00 - 13:30
You don’t have to run a podcast to show up powerfully on one.
Join MI-CEMI for a communications table focused on how individua
ls and organizations can use podcast platforms to amplify stories, build narrative power, and advance criminal legal reform—without producing a podcast themselves.
This session is designed for people who are interested in using podcasts as a tool for advocacy, education, and visibility. Whether you’ve been interviewed before or are just getting started, we’ll break down how to find aligned shows, pitch yourself effectively, and make the most of every appearance.

Michigan Power & Purpose Training: ACLU & Rise for Freedom
2025-09-20 09:00
Free, one-day workshop to teach organizing skills, persuasive conversations, and network-building. Space is limited, commit to the full day and bring a friend. Exact address sent after registration.

How Restorative Justice Can Transform the Criminal Justice System
2025-09-24 12:00 - 13:30
This fall, MI-CEMI’s Learning Community will explore how restorative justice (RJ) and community violence intervention (CVI) strategies can intersect across the criminal legal system—from prevention and diversion to healing during incarceration and support after reentry.
A panel of leaders will share how restorative practices and CVI strategies are preventing incarceration, fostering accountability inside prison, supporting people as they return home, and offering alternatives to long and extreme sentences. Learn how we can build on these successes for a different approach to harm, repair, and accountability. Free and open to all. Register today
Then join us at the Michigan Restorative Justice Summit, where we’ll continue the discussion with an interactive session on scaling RJ and CVI integration statewide on October 31. Summit registration required. Register for the September zoom session to access a discount code for the October in-person conference!

Seeds of Change
2025-09-25 17:00 - 20:00 | 2000 Brooklyn St, 2000 Brooklyn St., Detroit, MI, 48226, United States
Annual Evening Gala Event. Celebrate resilience, transformation, and community impact at our signature annual benefit. Your sponsorship helps fuel our mission to break barriers for system-impacted individuals.

Humanity for Prisoners’ Voices of Humanity
2025-09-25 17:30
Annual Fall Fundraiser featuring dinner and a film, a silent art auction, a model solitary confinement cell, and more. Register here.

LINC UP Community Spirit Awards
2025-10-02 11:30 | The Goei Center
Summer is in full swing, and so is LINC UP’s commitment to uplifting Grand Rapids through connection, celebration, and empowerment. This month, they’re hosting a full calendar of events—from resource fairs to civic engagement sessions—all designed to bring people together and build power in our neighborhoods.
They’re also excited to announce the official Save the Date for our Community Spirit Awards—happening October 2, 2025! This special evening will honor local changemakers and mark 25 years of LINC UP’s impact.
Read on, plug in, and join us in keeping the momentum going.
🌟 Celebrate Community. Invest in Impact.
The Community Spirit Awards honor the people and organizations driving real change in Grand Rapids—from grassroots organizers to local leaders. This year, we’re spotlighting a powerful group of honorees as part of our 25th anniversary celebration and $25,000 fundraising goal.
It’s more than a celebration—it’s a call to invest in people over systems.

A Brighter Way’s 4th Annual Convening — "From Building to Belonging: Deepening Community Roots."
2025-10-06 10:00 - 16:00
Rooting into stability, power, health, and community with breakouts, real talk, and action. Register here

Quarterly Reentry Table Kickoff Meeting
2025-10-14 12:00 - 13:30
We’re excited to launch the Quarterly Reentry Table, a new space for connection, collaboration, and action among people and organizations working to support successful reentry in Michigan.
Kickoff Session Details:

Date: Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Time: 12:00 – 1:30 PM ET
Location: Virtual on Zoom (link will be emailed upon RSVP)
Audience: Reentry service providers, formerly incarcerated individuals, and advocates

This kickoff session will bring together service providers, directly impacted people, and advocates to:

Build connections across the reentry field
Share insights on reentry successes and challenges
Explore how this quarterly gathering can best serve participants moving forward

Your perspective is essential in shaping this new collaborative space.

Journey to Justice Tour
2025-10-15 00:00 - 2025-10-17 23:59
Michigan Citizens for Prison Reform hosts the Reform Unlock the Box campaign for 3 days of art, empowerment, and collective action to end solitary confinement in Michigan and beyond! Attend events in East Lansing (October 15 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm), Lansing (October 16 @ 9:00 am – 4:00 pm), and Ann Arbor (October 17 @ 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm).

Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing (Lansing)
2025-10-16 18:30
Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing. Spend an evening with former juvenile lifers to learn more in their own words. Hosted by Safe & Just Michigan.

In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles is unconstitutional, and in 2016, the court made that ruling retroactive. Since then, hundreds of former juvenile lifers in Michigan have returned home. Overwhelmingly, they have become productive, contributing members of their communities, becoming parents, social workers, entrepreneurs and more. You can hear several of their stories through our “Life Beyond Life” video storytelling project HERE <https://tracking.etapestry.com/t/48539259/1509407654/107049799/0/122098/?x=bc4de847>.
Safe & Just Michigan favors legislation that would end the possibility of JLWOP sentencing and codify the recent state Supreme Court rulings into law. Current legislation before the House fails to do that. House Bills 4506-8 do ban mandatory life sentences for juveniles — as the U.S. Supreme Court ordered in 2012 — but replaces them with sentences with a minimum of 35-50 years and maximum of 80 years. For a 20-year-old facing sentencing, an 80-year sentence is essentially the same as life.
In contrast, the bills we supported last year initially had a minimum sentence of 10 years, but was later amended to 20 years — still less than the minimum of 35-50 years in the current proposal.
This month we are hosting two “Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing” events that will be presented in Lansing on Oct. 16 and Detroit on Oct. 21. These events bring together a panel of former juvenile lifers, selections from our “Life Beyond Life” storytelling project and questions from the audience.
The details for the Lansing event are as follows:
Lansing: Thursday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. in room 911 of Cooley Law School featuring panelists Brad Warner, Alexis Smith, Shawn England and Patrick Kinney. Doors open at 6 p.m. Register for this event HERE <https://tracking.etapestry.com/t/48539259/1509407654/107049797/0/122098/?x=55481589>.
We hope we will see you at one of the upcoming “Life Beyond Life: Stories of hope and healing” in October. We encourage you to bring a friend or colleague to these events to help get the word out.

Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing (Detroit)
2025-10-21 18:30
Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing. Spend an evening with former juvenile lifers to learn more in their own words. Hosted by Safe & Just Michigan.
In 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life sentences for juveniles is unconstitutional, and in 2016, the court made that ruling retroactive. Since then, hundreds of former juvenile lifers in Michigan have returned home. Overwhelmingly, they have become productive, contributing members of their communities, becoming parents, social workers, entrepreneurs and more. You can hear several of their stories through our “Life Beyond Life” video storytelling project HERE <https://tracking.etapestry.com/t/48539259/1509407654/107049799/0/122098/?x=bc4de847>.
Safe & Just Michigan favors legislation that would end the possibility of JLWOP sentencing and codify the recent state Supreme Court rulings into law. Current legislation before the House fails to do that. House Bills 4506-8 do ban mandatory life sentences for juveniles — as the U.S. Supreme Court ordered in 2012 — but replaces them with sentences with a minimum of 35-50 years and maximum of 80 years. For a 20-year-old facing sentencing, an 80-year sentence is essentially the same as life.
In contrast, the bills we supported last year initially had a minimum sentence of 10 years, but was later amended to 20 years — still less than the minimum of 35-50 years in the current proposal.
This month we are hosting two “Life Beyond Life: Stories of Hope and Healing” events that will be presented in Lansing on Oct. 16 and Detroit on Oct. 21. These events bring together a panel of former juvenile lifers, selections from our “Life Beyond Life” storytelling project and questions from the audience.
The details for the Detroit event are as follows:
Detroit: Tuesday, Oct. 21, at 6:30 p.m. in the Bernath Auditorium at Wayne State University’s Adamany Graduate Library featuring panelists Jose Burgos, Machelle Pearson and Patrick Kinney. Burgos is also a board member at SJM and a policy advocate for the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. Doors open at 6 p.m. Register for this event HERE <https://tracking.etapestry.com/t/48539259/1509407654/107049798/0/122098/?x=a6e4f96c>.
We hope we will see you at one of the upcoming “Life Beyond Life: Stories of hope and healing” in October. We encourage you to bring a friend or colleague to these events to help get the word out.

The Detroit Enhanced Reentry Project Community Forum
2025-10-23 00:00 - 2025-10-24 23:59
Join us for the Detroit Enhanced Reentry Project Community Forum on Thursday, October 23 (6:30-8:00pm) or Friday, October 24 (1:00-2:30pm)!
This 90-minute in-person gathering will:

Share updates about our Detroit-based project
Foster open dialogue and trust between community and researchers
Gather perspectives to strengthen reentry supports

We welcome community members, families, service providers, justice partners, and advocates. The forums will be facilitated by the American Institutes for Research team, which includes justice experts, researchers, and people with lived experience.
Your voice matters in shaping a more supportive and welcoming reentry process. We hope you will join us and share your perspective.
Register here: https://airtable.com/appFdPOTGunOAAeCP/pag0T8HLyVuUVdiWR/form

Exoneree Gala: Truth Told. Power Reclaimed.
2025-10-27 17:30 - 20:30
Be part of Truth Told, Power Reclaimed—an inaugural evening honoring the resilience of exonerees and fueling the work to restore dignity, opportunity, and community.
Monday, October 27, 2025 • 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Huntington Tower
2025 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48226

Your ticket directly supports housing, employment, and community re-entry for exonerees.
Hear powerful stories and celebrate hard-won freedom.
Stand with a growing movement to transform justice.

“Every ticket, every sponsor, every supporter helps us rebuild the lives that wrongful convictions tried to destroy.”
— Exoneree, Organization of Exonerees
RSVP here: https://givebutter.com/c/WrongfulConviction

2025 Michigan Restorative Justice Summit
2025-10-30 00:00 - 2025-10-31 23:59
The Dispute Resolution Center (DRC) is hosting statewide 2025 Michigan Restorative Justice Summit, as an opportunity to invite, meet, and collaborate with practitioners, partners, and stakeholders of restorative practice in all its forms.
Join us for an unforgettable evening as we gather to honor the strength of families impacted by incarceration and raise support for the work ahead. This powerful celebration includes a full dinner, inspiring speakers, and our beloved Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) Art Auction — showcasing moving works created by incarcerated individuals across Michigan.
Together, we’ll reflect on the resilience that fuels our movement, share stories of hope and transformation, and build the collective power needed for change.
Register here: https://thedisputeresolutioncenter.org/mirjsummit/registration/

Citizens for Prison Reform Annual Celebration
2025-11-01 16:30 - 20:00
Join CPR for an unforgettable evening as we gather to honor the strength of families impacted by incarceration and raise support for the work ahead. This powerful celebration includes a full dinner, inspiring speakers, and our beloved Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) Art Auction — showcasing moving works created by incarcerated individuals across Michigan.
Together, we’ll reflect on the resilience that fuels our movement, share stories of hope and transformation, and build the collective power needed for change.
Time: 4:30–8:00 PM
Location: 500 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Lansing, MI 48915
RSVP at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/annual-celebration-2

Free Community Screening of Autumn, Detroit Justice Center
2025-11-12 16:00 - 18:00
Please join the Detroit Justice Center at the LOVE Building on November 12th for a free community screening of Autumn, a short-film that explores the untold impact of incarceration on children, and why keeping families connected matters.

Autumn Mason is a Certified Doula and Peer Support Professional with a focus on supporting families impacted by the criminal justice system. She is also a 2025 alumni of Represent Justice’s Ambassador Program, a fellowship that equips formerly incarcerated leaders and advocates with the creative and technical skills to produce short films for systemic change.
The evening will go from 4:00-6:00pm and include resources for justice-impacted families, and an intimate panel discussion featuring filmmaker Autumn Mason and local community organizations working at the intersections of community wellness, family support, and criminal justice advocacy. Justice impacted families are highly recommended to attend. Food and childcare will be provided for attendees.
RSVP at bit.ly/DJCautumn!

Political Writing Workshop
2025-11-13 12:00 - 13:30
You will leave this training with the basic tools you need to put your group’s goals and demands into an editorial for digital and print media outlets. We’ll cover how to stay on message, the necessity of being clear about goals and demands, who has the power to deliver them, and moving the public to support your campaign.
Who: Training presented by Engage Michigan as part of the MI-CEMI Communications Table, a quarterly gathering of Michigan criminal justice reform advocates committed to strengthening communications and narrative change efforts to end mass incarceration.
How: Register here

Safe & Just Michigan Annual Membership Meeting
2025-11-13 18:00 - 19:00
Safe & Just Michigan invites you to participate in their virtual Annual Membership Meeting This is an opportunity for you to get legislative updates, hear a forecast for the coming year and ask questions, as well as participate in our board elections.
Participation is free and open to anyone who is interested in furthering criminal legal reform in Michigan. To join us, simply register HERE to get a link to our upcoming meeting.
The Safe & Just Michigan team always keeps in mind the needs, ideas and opinions of our supporters as we continue our work. Joining us at our Annual Membership Meeting is one way that you can learn what our priorities are for 2026.

Michigan's Turning Point
2025-11-29 12:00 - 14:00
National Lifers of America Chapter 1012, in collaboration with iRise and Free People Free People is hosting a forum calling for justice for the medically frail, overly sentenced, wrongfully convicted, survivors of domestic violence, and returning citizens.
When: Saturday, Nov 29, doors open at noon
Location: Godland Unity Church, 22450 Schoolcraft
Who: Contact Dion Riggen El at 734-756-9836 with questions

A Decade of FORCE: Powering Detroit Forward - FORCE Detroit's 10-Year Celebration Dinner
2025-12-01 18:00 - 22:00
A Decade of FORCE: Powering Detroit Forward 10-Year Celebration Dinner Supporting the Alia Harvey-Quinn Fellowship
Date: December 10, 2025
Location: Charles H. Wright 315 E. Warren, Detroit, Michigan 48201
Time: 6:00 PM-10:00 PM
VIP Reception 6:00 PM-7:00 PM and Main Celebration 7:00 PM-10:00 PM
Purpose:
As we celebrate a decade of commitment, growth, and impact, we invite you to join us in honoring this milestone and our founder, while making a lasting difference in the lives of young people. All proceeds from our 10-Year Celebration Dinner will directly support the Alia Harvey-Quinn Fellowship program, which is dedicated to empowering youth as they embark on their journey in community violence prevention and pursue educational opportunities that shape a brighter future.
About the Alia Harvey-Quinn Fellowship:
FORCE is establishing this fellowship to honor its founder, Alia Harvey-Quinn, whose dedication to fostering safe and resilient communities is the inspiration for our work. This initiative focuses on:

Providing mentorship and guidance for youth interested in community violence prevention.
Supporting educational pathways and career development in public service, social work, and community leadership.
Equipping the next generation with the skills, resources, and opportunities needed to create meaningful change in their communities.

Your attendance at the 10-Year Celebration Dinner will:

Fund the fellowship, training programs, and educational resources for youth.
Support hands-on community projects led by fellowship participants.
Expand the reach of mentorship and networking opportunities for aspiring community leaders.

Ready to make an impact? Buy tickets today and take advantage of the early bird discount extended through October 31.
Want to buy an ad for our program book? Click here.
Can’t attend? Donate:

Online: Donate to FORCE Detroit
By Check: Payable to FORCE Detroit, mailed to 7310 Woodward, Suite 400, Detroit, Michigan 48202.

Be part of this milestone celebration and invest in the future of young leaders who will drive change in their communities. Together, we can empower the next generation through the Alia Harvey-Quinn Fellowship.
The Museum is making three exhibits available for attendees to enjoy throughout the evening.
Attire for the event is evening wear. Free valet parking is available.
Interested in becoming a corporate partner? Click here or contact Jasmin Barnett at jasmin@forcedetroit.org for information on sponsorship opportunities.

Immigration and Criminal Justice: MI-CEMI Incarceration Prevention Learning Community
2026-01-13 12:00 - 13:30
Zip tying children. Deportations without due process. Inhumane detention conditions. Local law enforcement engaging in federal immigration enforcement.
These abusive practices are scary on their own. Even ore troubling is the risk that they will spill over to non-immigration law enforcement, jail, and prison practices.
Join this discussion with immigration and criminal justice leaders to:

Explore the connections between immigration justice and the movement to end mass incarceration.
Connect with state and local leaders pushing back through grassroots actions.
Learn how you can take action at the individual, local, and state levels.

Panelists include:

Christine Sauvé, Policy, Engagement, and Communications Manager, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
Scott Preston, Senior Policy Analyst, Michigan League for Public Policy
Liz Balck, West Michigan Policy Strategist, ACLU of Michigan

Register now
