State Senate passes transformative juvenile justice bill
Michigan senators voted March 18 to approve a crucial piece of legislation that would reform juvenile justice and ensure access to justice to children.
Senate Bill 81, sponsored by Sen. Sue Shink, D-Northfield Township, would authorize the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to develop and implement minimum standards for the legal defense of Michigan’s children in delinquency proceedings. It passed with bipartisan support.
An identical version of the bill, HB 4070, passed out of committee in the House earlier this month, and floor action is expected soon.
The bills are reintroductions of a bill from last session that would ensure that young people are provided with their constitutionally guaranteed right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one.
If signed into law, the measure would be the final — and most critical — piece of legislation from a 20-bill package aimed at systemic juvenile justice reform including the expansion of diversion opportunities; more tools for courts to guide disposition decisions; a requirement to use data-driven mental health, risk, and detention screening assessments; and more resources for effective, community-based alternatives to incarceration. Of those 20 bills, 19 were signed into law in 2023.
Last session, the bill passed both the House and Senate in 2024 after more than a year of debate and advocacy by a coalition of partners including the State Bar of Michigan. However, it never made it to the governor’s desk because it needed a House concurrence vote at the end of the legislative session.
Senate Bill 81, sponsored by Sen. Sue Shink, D-Northfield Township, would authorize the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission to develop and implement minimum standards for the legal defense of Michigan’s children in delinquency proceedings. It passed with bipartisan support.
An identical version of the bill, HB 4070, passed out of committee in the House earlier this month, and floor action is expected soon.
The bills are reintroductions of a bill from last session that would ensure that young people are provided with their constitutionally guaranteed right to an attorney even if they cannot afford one.
If signed into law, the measure would be the final — and most critical — piece of legislation from a 20-bill package aimed at systemic juvenile justice reform including the expansion of diversion opportunities; more tools for courts to guide disposition decisions; a requirement to use data-driven mental health, risk, and detention screening assessments; and more resources for effective, community-based alternatives to incarceration. Of those 20 bills, 19 were signed into law in 2023.
Last session, the bill passed both the House and Senate in 2024 after more than a year of debate and advocacy by a coalition of partners including the State Bar of Michigan. However, it never made it to the governor’s desk because it needed a House concurrence vote at the end of the legislative session.
Defenders to discuss ‘Inadmissible Evidence’ April 15
The State Appellate Defender Office and the Criminal Defense Resource Center will present a webinar on “Defendants’ Constitutional Right To Present (Otherwise) Inadmissible Evidence” Tuesday, April 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. Speaking at the training will be SADO assistant defenders Steven Helton and Jackie McCann.
Helton earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2013. Helton joined SADO in 2018 so that he could continue working for indigent individuals.
McCann has been an assistant defender at SADO since 2001. She was the principal author of SADO’s Criminal Defense Resource Center’s Defender Plea, Sentence, and Post-Conviction Book and Annotated Sentencing Guidelines Manual from 2011-2019.
To register for the webinar, visit www.sado.org and click on “upcoming events.” Anyone with questions may email CDRC Manager Kathy Swedlow at kswedlow@sado.org.
Helton earned his law degree from Wayne State University Law School in 2013. Helton joined SADO in 2018 so that he could continue working for indigent individuals.
McCann has been an assistant defender at SADO since 2001. She was the principal author of SADO’s Criminal Defense Resource Center’s Defender Plea, Sentence, and Post-Conviction Book and Annotated Sentencing Guidelines Manual from 2011-2019.
To register for the webinar, visit www.sado.org and click on “upcoming events.” Anyone with questions may email CDRC Manager Kathy Swedlow at kswedlow@sado.org.
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