Advocates for criminal justice reform in Michigan joined together recently to voice support for proposals and pending legislation that would expand access to expungements and automate the process, reform inhumane practices for incarcerated pregnant people and transform Michigan’s system of county jails.
The Michigan Day of Empathy, part of a National Day of Empathy sponsored by #Cut50, called attention to urgent need to reform criminal justice laws that are impacting millions of people around the country, even decades after they have “done their time.”
The event late last month event featured video conferences held via Zoom and Facebook Live. Topics included Clean Slate legislation, Pregnancy in Prison – Standards of Care, a conversation focusing on crime victims, and the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration.
The Clean Slate legislation — a set of bills to improve access to criminal record expungements and automate the process of obtaining them in many cases — was approved by the state House in November. They now await a hearing before the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee.
“We’ve been talking to senators the last couple months about why it’s not likely to cost a lot of money and why the benefits will far outweigh the costs,” said Safe & Just Michigan Executive Director John Cooper.
According to a new release from Safe & Just Michigan, a study from University of Michigan researchers shows that once people receive an expungement, their wages raise an average of 25 percent within two years.
That enables people to provide for their families, contribute to their communities and avoid recidivating back into prison,
Safe &?Just Michigan’s mission is aimed at advancing policies that end Michigan’s over-use of incarceration and promote community safety and healing.
With the legislation on hold because of the pandemic, JustLeadershipUSA Michigan Organizer Hakim Crampton said people should engage with both lawmakers and people in their community about the need for the legislation.
“It’s important for us to begin engaging with people so that we can begin to move forward — not just in a meaningful way, but in a healing way,” he said. “If we don’t get these barriers removed, it compounds the trauma (of incarceration.)”
The second panel focused bills in the state Senate that would, among other things, reform policies regarding incarcerated woman and oversee conditions of confinement for all women at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility.
The final panel took a look at the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration and its 18 recommendations to improve county jails and other components of the justice system such as bail, probation and sentencing.
Panelists on the discussion included Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack. She spoke about how the proposals would improve the way county jails work with people who have mental health challenges — a problem brought up by several county sheriffs and community members during the task force’s investigation.
“Nobody believes that jail is a good place to treat mental illness, but it happens to be the main place we treat mental illness in our communities right now,” Justice McCormack said.
The task force recommendations are intended to be turned into legislation before the Legislature’s summer break, but McCormack said she realized that may be delayed because of the COVID-19 crisis. However, she pointed out the crisis also demonstrates the need for reform, as densely packed jails and prisons present urgent challenges in preventing the spread of the virus.
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