MDOC Highlights the Success of the Michigan Benefits Access Initiative

Great Lakes Economic Consulting prepared an analysis reporting on the fiscal impact that the In-Home Care Incentive Grant would have on the Michigan budget. The Incentive, which is currently being considered by the Michigan Legislature, proposes a competitive grant offered to Michigan counties to increase community-based services for youth involved in the juvenile justice system.

On January 2, 2013, Governor Snyder signed the bill, ensuring that children who stand accused of crimes are competent to participate in their court hearings. Learn more.


MCCD Launches the Michigan Juvenile Defense Network

The Network is an opportunity to connect attorneys across Michigan who provide court appointed legal representation to youth facing delinquency proceedings. Learn more.
 

The Attorney General’s Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence Session

Exposure to violence is a national crisis that affects approximately two out of every three of our children. Of the 76 million children currently residing in the United States, an estimated 46 million can expect to have their lives touched by violence, crime, abuse, and psychological trauma this year. In 1979, U.S. Surgeon General Julius B. Richmond declared violence a public health crisis of the highest priority, and yet 33 years later that crisis remains. Whether the violence occurs in children’s homes, neighborhoods, schools, playgrounds or playing fields, locker rooms, places of worship, shelters, streets, or in juvenile detention centers, the exposure of children to violence is a uniquely traumatic experience that has the potential to profoundly derail the child’s security, health, happiness, and ability to grow and learn — with effects lasting well into adulthood.

On April 24th Michelle Weemhoff of the MCCD testified at the Detroit Regional Listening Conducted by the Department of Justice.

New Report: Advances in Juvenile Justice Reform

October 10, 2012 - The National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) released “Advances in Juvenile Justice Reform.” The report documents advances and reforms in juvenile justice across the country between 2009 and 2011 in 24 policy areas, specifically highlighting Michigan’s successes with public defense, youth reentry, and sex offender registration. Learn More.

Several States Successful in Reducing Recidivism

September 25, 2012 - The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center’s National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) released a policy brief highlighting a number of states reporting significant, reductions in recidivism. The states profiled in the report show significant declines in their three-year recidivism rates based on data tracking individuals released from prison in 2005 and 2007. Texas and Ohio reported reductions of 11 percent, while the Kansas rate fell by 15 percent and Michigan’s rate dropped by 18 percent. Incorporating data through 2010 (and in some cases, through 2011), the report provides the most recent multi-state information available on recidivism.  The report also notes that 70% of all states now report steady or declining recidivism rates. Learn More.

NJJN Announces Beth Arnovits Gutsy Advocate for Youth Award Winner

Kim McGill (CA) is the first recipient of the Beth Arnovits Gutsy Advocate for Youth Award, which is presented annually by the National Juvenile Justice Network (NJJN) to individuals who advocate for youth justice and juvenile justice reform and embody the tenacity, vision, fearlessness and wisdom of former MCCD Director and one of the founders of NJJN, Elizabeth J. Arnovits. Learn More.

Mandatory Juvenile Life without Parole Sentences Held Unconstitutional

Following the recent juvenile sentencing trends of Roper v. Simmons (2005) and Graham v. Florida (2010), the Supreme Court held today in Miller v. Alabama and Jackson v. Hobbs that “mandatory life without parole for those under the age of 18 at the time of their crimes violates the Eighth Amendment.” As the Court reasoned, such mandatory penalty schemes are constitutionally prohibited because they fail to consider a juvenile’s “lessened culpability” and greater “capacity for change.” Learn More .

At America's Expense: The Mass Incarceration of the Elderly

The ACLU released a new report, “At America's Expense: The Mass Incarceration of the Elderly,” describing the costs and causes of the dramatic rise in our elderly prisoner population. The report uses original data collected from all 50 states and the federal system to demonstrate the high costs and meager benefits of incarcerating the elderly. The report also provides a fiscal analysis, which estimates that states would save $66,000 per year for each elderly prisoner they release. Click here, to access the full report, along with a striking slideshow of photos by Tim Gruber and the video, “Elderly in Prison.”
 

SAMHSA and MacArthur Foundation Partner to Improve the Response to Youth with Behavioral Health Needs in the Juvenile Justice System.

The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice, at Policy Research Associates, and the Technical Assistance Collaborative are coordinating an initiative targeting the behavioral health needs of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system. This effort, which is jointly supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, integrates the Policy Academy mechanism, which brings together state leadership teams to learn about effective interventions and the latest research, and the Action Network strategy, which supports and links teams working on similar innovations in policy and practice.

The goal of this initiative is to increase the number of youth with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders diverted out of the juvenile justice system early to appropriate community-based behavioral health services, and to reduce the inappropriate and unnecessary contact of these youth with the juvenile justice system.

Eight states were competitively selected to participate in this initiative based on their commitment to improving policies and programs for youth with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, and the overall appropriateness of fit of their proposed work to the goals of this initiative.

Selected states are:

• Arkansas

• Kentucky

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Mississippi

• New York

• South Carolina

• Virginia