Chandra W. Baker-Robinson, a judge of the Wayne County Circuit Court Criminal Division, has joined the Board of Directors of the Wayne County Jail Outreach Ministry (WCJOM).
“With her extensive experience as a prosecutor and judge, Judge Baker-Robinson understands how important it is to prepare incarcerated persons for successful re-entry into society,” said Stephen J. Murphy III, judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, who chairs the WCJOM board. “Judge Baker-Robinson has worked with both defendants and crime victims, and has great insight into the issues faced by returning citizens.”
WCJOM is an interfaith 501(c)3 nonprofit, supporting religious services for inmates during their stay at the Wayne County Jail, regardless of denomination. The ministry also helps returning citizens rejoin society with clothing, food, job placement, and mentoring.
An alumna of the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a degree in Communications, Baker-Robinson earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. While a law student, she served as an intern for Judge Victoria Roberts of the U.S. District Court. After law school, she joined the Detroit law firm of Miller Canfield as an associate attorney specializing in labor and employment law.
She then joined the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as Assistant Prosecutor, litigating hundreds of cases over a 12-year career, including serving as lead attorney for the Wayne Arson Reduction (WAR) Unit, prosecuting arson crimes in which victims were killed or injured. For her work in WAR, in 2018 she was honored as “Prosecutor of the Year” by the International Association of Arson Investigators.
In November 2020, Baker-Robinson was elected to the Wayne County Circuit Court. In addition to her normally assigned duties as a trial judge, Baker-Robinson presided in the court’s “Drug Court” program. Drug courts are specialized programs that target defendants’ addictions as a contributing cause of criminal behavior, using a mix of intensive treatment, oversight by judges, and graduated sanctions to maintain accountability. As a drug court judge, Baker-Robinson managed and helped to motivate defendants who chose to overcome their addictions.
Baker-Robinson has served in numerous professional organizations, including Association of Black Judges of Michigan, Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Wolverine Bar Association, Wayne State University Black Law Students Association, and Barristers of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, being named “Barrister of the Year” in 2005. In 2012, she was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court as an attorney member of the State of Michigan’s Attorney Grievance Commission, which investigates and prosecutes attorney misconduct; she served two three-year terms on the panel.
Baker-Robinson’s community activities include the Michigan chapter of SKIP (Save Kids of Incarcerated Parents) and serving on the board of the Citadel Community Development Corporation. In 2006, she was recognized with the “Impact on Domestic Violence Award” by the Legal Aid and Defender Association, and is also the recipient of the Cornelius Pitts Criminal Defense Award.
Besides Judge Baker-Robinson and Judge Murphy, other WCJOM board members include Thomas Adams, CEO, Chance for Life; Sara Aly, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, Islamic Association of Greater Detroit; Maura D. Corrigan, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; Sr. Peggy Devaney, IHM, Founder, Oakland County Jail and Outreach Ministry; Regina Greear, Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Director, City of Detroit; Minister Anthony Jones, MDiv, Chaplain, Trinity Health, Livonia; Timothy M. Kenny, former Chief Judge, Wayne County Circuit Court; Brandy Phillips, Director, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (ex officio); Jessica Taylor, Executive Director, Chance for Life; and attorney Mark Zausmer, past chair and current member, board of directors, City Year Detroit.
For more information about WCJOM, visit https://www.waynecountyoutreach.org/. For more information about Chance for Life, visit https://chanceforlifeonline.org/.
“With her extensive experience as a prosecutor and judge, Judge Baker-Robinson understands how important it is to prepare incarcerated persons for successful re-entry into society,” said Stephen J. Murphy III, judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, who chairs the WCJOM board. “Judge Baker-Robinson has worked with both defendants and crime victims, and has great insight into the issues faced by returning citizens.”
WCJOM is an interfaith 501(c)3 nonprofit, supporting religious services for inmates during their stay at the Wayne County Jail, regardless of denomination. The ministry also helps returning citizens rejoin society with clothing, food, job placement, and mentoring.
An alumna of the University of Michigan, where she graduated with a degree in Communications, Baker-Robinson earned her law degree from Wayne State University Law School. While a law student, she served as an intern for Judge Victoria Roberts of the U.S. District Court. After law school, she joined the Detroit law firm of Miller Canfield as an associate attorney specializing in labor and employment law.
She then joined the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office as Assistant Prosecutor, litigating hundreds of cases over a 12-year career, including serving as lead attorney for the Wayne Arson Reduction (WAR) Unit, prosecuting arson crimes in which victims were killed or injured. For her work in WAR, in 2018 she was honored as “Prosecutor of the Year” by the International Association of Arson Investigators.
In November 2020, Baker-Robinson was elected to the Wayne County Circuit Court. In addition to her normally assigned duties as a trial judge, Baker-Robinson presided in the court’s “Drug Court” program. Drug courts are specialized programs that target defendants’ addictions as a contributing cause of criminal behavior, using a mix of intensive treatment, oversight by judges, and graduated sanctions to maintain accountability. As a drug court judge, Baker-Robinson managed and helped to motivate defendants who chose to overcome their addictions.
Baker-Robinson has served in numerous professional organizations, including Association of Black Judges of Michigan, Black Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, Wolverine Bar Association, Wayne State University Black Law Students Association, and Barristers of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, being named “Barrister of the Year” in 2005. In 2012, she was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court as an attorney member of the State of Michigan’s Attorney Grievance Commission, which investigates and prosecutes attorney misconduct; she served two three-year terms on the panel.
Baker-Robinson’s community activities include the Michigan chapter of SKIP (Save Kids of Incarcerated Parents) and serving on the board of the Citadel Community Development Corporation. In 2006, she was recognized with the “Impact on Domestic Violence Award” by the Legal Aid and Defender Association, and is also the recipient of the Cornelius Pitts Criminal Defense Award.
Besides Judge Baker-Robinson and Judge Murphy, other WCJOM board members include Thomas Adams, CEO, Chance for Life; Sara Aly, Outreach Committee Co-Chair, Islamic Association of Greater Detroit; Maura D. Corrigan, former Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; Sr. Peggy Devaney, IHM, Founder, Oakland County Jail and Outreach Ministry; Regina Greear, Deputy Chief Financial Officer/Director, City of Detroit; Minister Anthony Jones, MDiv, Chaplain, Trinity Health, Livonia; Timothy M. Kenny, former Chief Judge, Wayne County Circuit Court; Brandy Phillips, Director, Wayne County Sheriff’s Office (ex officio); Jessica Taylor, Executive Director, Chance for Life; and attorney Mark Zausmer, past chair and current member, board of directors, City Year Detroit.
For more information about WCJOM, visit https://www.waynecountyoutreach.org/. For more information about Chance for Life, visit https://chanceforlifeonline.org/.
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