Solutions

Front-end Off Ramps

MI-CEMI, in partnership with organizations like the Detroit Justice Center, Friends of Restorative Justice, Emergent Justice, and the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion, has launched the Michigan Statewide Violence and Incarceration Prevention Learning Community. This initiative connects advocates, practitioners, and organizations across Michigan to share resources, strategies, and best practices for violence prevention, police accountability, and restorative justice.

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Programming

MI-CEMI is committed to expanding access to rehabilitative programming in Michigan prisons to improve public safety, promote humane conditions, and reduce recidivism. Through the Prison Programming Providers Table, MI-CEMI brings together organizations, advocates, and returning citizens to strengthen in-reach efforts, share best practices, and address systemic barriers to educational, religious, arts, and rehabilitative programs. Additionally, the Prison Programming Work Group focuses on initiatives like peer GED support, technology access for incarcerated students, and improving program quality and accessibility across Michigan’s correctional facilities.

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Sentencing

Incarcerated people in Michigan serve on average, the longest sentences in the nation, and it’s been documented that longer prison sentences don’t make us safer. Further research shows that people who are released after serving long sentences are statistically very unlikely to reoffend. With average prison costs of $34,000-48,000 per person, not including healthcare, Michigan urgently needs sentencing reform.

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Reentry

MI-CEMI is dedicated to reducing recidivism and supporting successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals by addressing barriers like housing, employment, and access to vital documents. Key initiatives include the Michigan Reentry Convening, which brought together advocates and organizations to develop a collaborative policy agenda, and the Trauma-Informed Peer-Led Reentry (TIPLR) program, led by MI-CEMI steering team member Nation Outside, which expanded to seven counties with state funding. MI-CEMI also advocates for fair chance housing, occupational licensing reform, and cohesive policies to ensure returning citizens have the tools needed to thrive.

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Successes

As a collaborative body, MI-CEMI works to support and uplift the work of its member organizations, as we collectively strive to end mass incarceration. This collaborative work has led to successful reforms led by one or more of MI-CEMI’s member organizations, with the support of MI-CEMI’s entire membership. These successes have been:

• Adoption of Presumptive Parole
• Reductions in Prison Population
• Jail Reform Legislation
• Raise the Age Legislation
• Expungement Legislation (Clean Slate)
• Plans to Issue State IDs and Voter Registration on Release
• Indigent Defense Progress
• Sex Offender Registry Act Declared Unconstitutional
• Production of Video to Encourage Voting by Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated
• Introduction of SB 830 & SB 831 to Support Incarcerated Caregivers and Provide Oversight
• Closing of Youth Facility in Kalamazoo
• Voting Access for All Coalition video
• Michigan plans to issue State ID’s and Voter Registration upon release
• Clean Slate Legislation passed.
• Michigan Indigent Defense Commission sees improvements
• Michigan’s Sex Offender Registry Act ruled unconstitutional by 6th Circuit Court of Appeals

Other Issues

At MI-CEMI, we believe in addressing the full spectrum of challenges within the legal system. Beyond our core programs, we actively engage in advocacy, policy work, and community initiatives to drive change. This section highlights some of the other issues we are currently focused on, reflecting our ongoing commitment to fairness, equity, and transparency. Explore how we’re working to create a more just society—and learn how you can be part of the solution.

• Policy Carve outs: MI-CEMI’s position on policy carve outs