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Happy New Year from Voting Access For All Coalition!
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As we close out another year, we’d like to express gratitude to our VAAC family. We know that Civic Engagement is more than just voting … coalition building is power! It’s been a transformative year and we could not have done this work without you. We’re constantly impressed and inspired by this community. VAAC is…
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Lawmakers Absent in Michigan
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The Michigan House of Representatives effectively ended their legislative term this year by not showing up. Rather than representing their constituents and voting on key issues that have been witing for a hearing, 55 representatives were absent from their duties for several days this week. House speaker Joe Tate said of those who failed to…
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Police Contacts Down, Violence and Racial Disparities Remain
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Reporting by the Prison Policy Initiative and the Bureau of Justice Statistics shows that fewer people face interactions with the police than in past years. Additionally, only about half of calls to the police are related to possible crimes—and only about 4% are related to violent crimes—suggesting that these calls would be better handled by…
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Criminal Justice Wrapped 2024
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The Prison Policy Initiatve has created a graphic that summarizes “criminal justice” in the United States during 2024 in a “wrapped” style format. Unsurprisingly, our system of mass incarceration continues to waste money, destroy lives, and break apart families and communities—all while managing to make people less safe. Get more information from Prison Policy Initiative:
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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 This outdated policy distorts district maps, shifts resources unfairly, and silences the voices of communities most impacted by incarceration.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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