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Prison Gerrymandering: Contact Your State Representative Today
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We need your voice now more than ever! Michigan lawmakers are considering Senate Bill 494, a critical step toward ending the harmful practice of prison gerrymandering. This outdated policy distorts district maps, shifts resources unfairly, and silences the voices of communities most impacted by incarceration. We are thrilled that SB 494 passed in the Senate yesterday—but…
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Prison Policy Initiative: Criminal legal system reforms for 2025
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Prison Policy Initiative released a new report that outlines a number of criminal legal system reforms that should be considered in the coming year. The 34 reforms focus on eight areas: Expanding alternatives to criminal legal system responses to social problems; Protecting the presumption of innocence so people receive a fair shot at justice; Decreasing…
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Michigan Legislature Moving Forward on Reform Bills
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This week has been a small victory for criminal legal reform. The bills HB 4160-64 (abolishing juvenile life without parole) and HB 4556-60 (Second Look Resentencing) passed out of the House Criminal Justice Committee with substitution amendments. These bills represent a monumental step toward creating a fairer system that values growth, redemption, and second chances. Advocates, including formerly incarcerated…
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Prison Policy Initiative: The Humanization Project
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People who go through the criminal legal system often feel as if their humanity is being ignored. These feelings are more than justified. Dehumanization is not simply a side effect of incarceration: it is intentional and has been a part of prisons in the United States since the first brick was laid. Prisons in early…
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Support VAAC This Season
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We are a nonpartisan grassroots coalition committed to removing voting barriers for individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. We believe democracy works best when it includes everyone, and our mission is to ensure that all Michiganders—regardless of circumstance—have the access and support they need to vote. Our donors have helped us drive meaningful change…
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Housing is a Human Right
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Housing is a human right, yet people with conviction and arrest histories in Michigan face immense barriers to finding stable housing. In fact, a recent survey from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority found that respondents with conviction or arrest histories faced the highest levels of housing discrimination of any group. The more than 2…
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Voting Needs Our Protection
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This year’s elections were remarkably safe and fair, thanks to volunteers and poll workers from across the political spectrum. But, according to an opinion article in the Los Angeles Times, our process of voting, and our democracy as a whole, is under serious threat. [Some people], suspicious of our elections, are trying to turn democracy…
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Reframing the Goals of Incarceration
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Lauren-Brooke Eisen and Ram Subramanian wrote an excellent article for the Brennan Center for Justice offering an alternative perspective on the purposes of incarceration. Their approach centers around the idea of dignity. Prisons should give people access to education, therapy, and other rehabilitative activities. Through allowing incarcerated individuals to pursue meaningful activities inside prisons, they…
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Testimony Supporting Michigan Pretrial Reform Legislation Package
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On November 12, 2024, the House Criminal Justice Standing Committee heard testimony on a package of bills to advance pretrial reform in Michigan. Safe & Just Michigan Executive Director John S. Cooper provided written testimony and stated: “The pending bill package would eliminate cash bail in many low-level, non-violent cases while leaving the existing system…
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In Solidarity and Strength Beyond One Election
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Dear Vaac Community, We are a coalition of people directly impacted by the legal system, along with close allies, working to ensure that every person in Michigan knows their right to vote and has the tools to exercise it. In 2024, we showed up powerfully to do just that. This election, VAAC helped hundreds, many…
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Join Us in the Fight for Commonsense Police Accountability
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Four years after the tragic deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and too many others, Michigan is still waiting for meaningful police reform. Despite strong bipartisan support and well-crafted proposals refined through extensive outreach to law enforcement and community groups, no substantial legislative action has occurred. With time running out in this legislative session, we…
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Panel Discussion on Belonging and Redemption
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Restorative Action Alliance is offering a free panel discussion November 18, 2024, at 7:30–9:00 pm, titled Reimagining Belonging: Redemption, Repair & Reentry in Faith Communities.
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