In June, 2022, The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) published a Voter Engagement Toolkit: Educating Voters and Candidates About Ending Mass Incarceration and Promoting Public Safety, Even though the 2022 general elections will soon be here, we thought we should remind our partners about this valuable resource for educating voters.

Research shows that the punitive approach to public safety is at best ineffective and at worst counter-productive. Polls show that voters support smart changes to improve fairness, support second
chances, and promote public safety. The personal stories of those harmed by our current approach speak to the urgency of this issue. You can make a difference by engaging your community and the candidates who wish to serve it. This voter guide gives you the tools. If there are other ways MI-CEMI can support your efforts, please contact them at mail@mi-cemi.org.

The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration is a broad-based, statewide, non-partisan collaboration representing non-profit, faith-based, advocacy, grassroots, and service organizations united to end mass incarceration in Michigan. The Collaborative seeks to create and restore healthy communities.

MI-CEMI has adopted the following goals and objectives to be effective by the year 2030:

• A 50% reduction in admissions to prison and jail through the increased use of diversionary programs that meet the goals of sentencing;
• 75% of the population in each prison facility shall be engaged in productive activities at least 30 hours per week;
• A 50% reduction in the average length of stay of persons admitted to prison through the implementation of sentencing and parole reforms;
• A 50% reduction in the return-to-prison rate for persons released from State prison, through a rededication to the Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative Model, which includes full community engagement and community funding control, codified in law.