Photo: Shakeb Ahmed
The Michigan Criminal Justice Program works directly with people imprisoned in Michigan to advocate for and with them, with the long-term goal of prison de-population.
We prioritize the voices of those most impacted. We advocate through community organizing, experience-based education, case management, written resources and workshops. Our team utilizes data from individual prisoner case management to identify systemic abuses. We use this information to develop and implement a systems reform agenda.
We also activate the public as advocates and change agents. We aim to end long sentences while confronting harm through holistic community accountability. We work to address conditions of confinement for LGBTQ, pregnant, and mentally ill people. We strive to eliminate laws that lead to the disproportionate imprisonment of Black and Brown people.
Our work addresses the state violence of the criminal, legal, and imprisonment systems in our communities. We work to disrupt the paradigm of punishment we live in and build on community efforts that lead to healing, wellness and full liberation for all.
