You can search the blog by key word or by topic.
Visit our blog to stay up to date with our ideas, analysis, and strategies on safety and justice policy in Michigan.
Featured Blogs
Fewer people are going to prison — here’s why
We know by now that Michigan’s prison population is falling. From the high of 51,515 people reached in 2006, our state’s prison population has fallen 23 percent to 39,666 as of the end of 2017. [...]
Statistics tell the stories
The Michigan Department of Corrections released its 2017 Statistical Report on Jan. 23, 2019. It releases statistical reports annually, and each year they contain hundreds of pages of facts, figures, charts and tables that help [...]
Let’s work together
The political landscape has been noisy lately. If you read the news or watch it on television, it would be easy to think that there’s no room for politicians on the left and right to [...]
Court sentences: fair and equal?
If you are ever standing before a judge to be sentenced in Michigan the least you’d hope for is a fair and impartial hearing. You’d never want a judge to decide whether to send you [...]
House committees: worth a second look
The Michigan House of Representatives has a new speaker this session, Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-Levering), and he has announced that the House committee process will work slightly differently this session than it has in previous [...]
Michigan Legislature sets new committee assignments
Both chambers of the Michigan Legislature have appointed members to their committees for the 2019-20 legislative session. These committees are an important part of the legislative process because they act as gatekeepers as bills make [...]
Safe & Just Michigan wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is more than a day to get together and have a good meal. It’s a day to take a moment and be grateful for all the good things and blessings in our lives. From [...]
We are hiring a community engagement specialist!
We are seeking a qualified candidate for our Community Engagement Specialist position. This full-time position requires a concentration of outreach activities in the Detroit area. The candidate is expected to have a presence at the [...]
A visit to Lakeland Correctional Facility
On Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018, John Cooper, our associate director of policy & research, traveled to Lakeland Correctional Facility to present at the monthly meeting of Chapter #1013 of the National Lifers of America organization [...]
Supporting veterans by ensuring their needs are met in the justice system
Veterans Day is Nov. 11, but when that day falls on a weekend, as it does in 2018, the federal holiday is also observed in a weekday, which is why Veterans Day is being observed [...]
Get out and vote!
Nov. 6, 2018, is Election Day. Big decisions are being made in Michigan, from who should sit in the governor’s office to how political districts are drawn in our state. Political offices and issues being [...]
Proposals to Reform the Expungement Process
In our last blog post on expungement in Michigan, we discussed current reform proposals and made some recommendations about ways in which eligibility for expungement should be expanded. We now turn to our recommendations for [...]