A status offense includes conduct that would not be a crime if committed by an adult, including truancy, being a runaway, underage drinking of alcohol, ungovernability, et al. SCAO is partnering with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice (MCJJ) to present this grant opportunity.
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Kimberly A. Thomas serves as the court’s new liaison on juvenile justice matters and also served on the Michigan Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform (“Task Force”).
“The Michigan judiciary and our partners continue to make steady and deliberate progress in improving the state’s juvenile justice system as a result of groundbreaking reforms we helped pass,” Thomas said. “Thanks to this new grant funding, we are now able to support courts that are leading the way in their communities with innovative diversion programs to help certain justice-involved youths chart a new path in life.”
The Status Offense Diversion Project follows the Task Force’s final report finding that Michigan lacks the policy framework and service infrastructure necessary to ensure that youths who are at low-risk of reoffending are diverted from the juvenile justice system statewide. This and many other report findings led to the package of juvenile justice reforms that were signed into law on December 12, 2023, and took effect on October 1, 2024.
Juvenile justice reforms also led to these improvements, among others:
• Establishment of a Juvenile Justice Services team within SCAO to develop resources and year-round training for courts, and make necessary court rule amendments and court form changes.
• Formation of the state-level Juvenile Justice Partnership Committee (JJPC), led by MSC and MDHHS, to ensure cross-system collaboration and communication about the juvenile justice reforms, with workgroups comprised
of court and juvenile justice stakeholders.
• Encouragement of courts to form County Implementation Teams to develop new processes, where needed, and communicate such changes locally.
The grant application deadline is February 19, and applicants must include the following documents: application form; budget narrative; and budget spreadsheet. A guideline manual is available to assist courts in the completion of the application process, to outline eligibility criteria, and more.
Funding for the Status Offense Diversion Project grant program, which was authorized in Section 402 of the Fiscal Year 2025 Judiciary Budget, is provided by the U.S. Department of Justice Title II funds.
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