Michigan
2008
Background
In 2008, then-Governor Jennifer M. Granholm and legislative leaders requested technical assistance from the CSG Justice Center to work with a bipartisan, interbranch group of policymakers to analyze Michigan’s crime, community corrections, and sentencing policies. The working group reviewed analyses and policy options developed by the CSG Justice Center and presented these analyses and options to a cross-section of state, county, and local government officials, and community-based organizations at a policy forum on January 22, 2009.
2014
Background
In 2013, Michigan spent 1 out of every 5 state dollars on corrections, and the prison population was increasing. From 2013 to 2014, Michigan embarked on a Justice Reinvestment Initiative approach for a second time with the CSG Justice Center to study the state’s felony sentencing system to determine its impacts on public safety, recidivism trends, and state and local spending, as well as identify policy areas for further development. The state enacted legislation to establish a structure for continual analysis of Michigan’s sentencing practices and justice system by establishing a Criminal Justice Policy Commission and concentrated community corrections funding on programs proven to reduce recidivism.1
For more information, see Justice Reinvestment in Michigan.
JRI-Driven Policies and Practices
- Revise parole hearings/decision/eligibility standards
- Establish/expand geriatric or medical parole
- Require/improve risk-needs assessment
- Require evidence-based practices
- Improve behavioral health interventions
- Require data collection/performance measures
Other JRI-Funded Projects
In Michigan, the Muskegon County Prosecutor, in partnership with the CSG Justice Center, was one of the first to test and contribute to the digital infrastructure of the Justice Counts initiative.
1 The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2023, Justice Reinvestment in Michigan, New York, NY: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, retrieved May 17, 2023 from https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/justice-reinvestment/past-states/michigan/.