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The Crisis at WHV Is Bigger Than One Prison
Media coverage of recent deaths at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) have intensified concerns about systemic problems across Michigan prisons. MI-CEMI and coalition partners are identifying short-, medium-, and long-term actions to improve safety, transparency, healthcare access, and accountability across the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC). No single action can address the confluence of…
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MI-CEMI Quarterly Programming Providers Table
What Does Supporting Programming Look Like? Providers across Michigan spend enormous time navigating barriers to meaningful prison programming: staffing shortages, inconsistent access, communication gaps, policy limitations, volunteer burnout, funding instability, and uneven opportunities between facilities. But what if we stepped back from the day-to-day barriers and asked a larger question? If Michigan truly prioritized rehabilitation,…
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MI-CEMI Reentry Table: Employment Opportunities & Pathways to Work
Monday, May 4, 202612:00–1:30 PM ETVirtual on ZoomEmcee: Michael Taylor, MI-CEMI Employment is one of the most critical components of successful reentry, but access is not equal. Too often, those leaving prison face stigma, policy barriers, and a lack of support when trying to find meaningful work. Join MI-CEMI for our next Reentry Table, Employment…
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MI-CEMI Opposes New Prison, Jail, and Detention Center Construction in Michigan
The Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration (MI-CEMI) opposes construction of new prisons, jails, or immigration detention facilities in the state of Michigan and the reopening of shuttered prison facilities for incarceration or immigration detention. MI-CEMI supports efforts to improve conditions of confinement at prisons and detention facilities and prioritizes efforts to reduce the number…
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Back Inside, But Not the Same
Earlier this month, MI-CEMI’s Program Coordinator, Michael Taylor, returned to prison for the first time since coming home, joining the Reentry United event at Carson City Correctional Facility. What began as a surreal experience quickly became a powerful reminder of the importance of hope, connection, and the fight to bring people home. Reuniting with men…
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Michigan Organizations Call On Supreme Court to End Extreme Sentences for Youth
Excessive Minimum Sentences Sentences for Adolescents Are Cruel, Unusual LANSING: Michigan Criminal Justice and Public Safety organizations today thanked the Supreme Court for hearing People v. Eads, (MSC Docket No. 168205). In 1992, Mr. James Eads was convicted of second-degree murder and felony-firearm for crimes he committed when he was 16 years old and was…
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Investing in a Safer Michigan: FY2027 Budget Recommendations
A coalition of organizations released their FY2027 Michigan Budget Recommendations to invest in crime prevention, rehabilitation, and reentry. Take Action: Endorse the letter on behalf of your organization Tell your lawmakers to support these budget recommendations. With economic uncertainty and rising costs impacting families across Michigan, this year’s budget is an opportunity to invest in…
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Tell Governor Whitmer: Support Clemency and Sentencing Reform at Huron Valley
Women incarcerated at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility have issued a solutions-driven open letter calling on Governor Whitmer to grant clemency to at least 100 women before the end of her term. The women are recommending the Women’s Clemency and Resentencing Initiative, a three-phase plan developed by women inside WHV that would: Release approximately 800…
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Supreme Court Ruling Ignores Failure of Lifetime Surveillance
Safety, justice take more effort, involvement than electronic shackles MICHIGAN – Justice advocates across Michigan were disappointed by last year’s Michigan Supreme Court ruling in the Kardasz and Martin cases, citing real world evidence that the ruling that allows lifelong surveillance is bad for public safety and justice. Although the justices found that Michigan’s Registry…
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Reading between the lines of the MDOC Vocational and Programming Report
The Michigan Department of Corrections released their most recent Academic and Vocational Summary Report last week. Within the report there are elements to celebrate, areas of concern, and missing data that would help drive further programming improvements. MDOC data show that large numbers of people are on waiting lists for academic programming (often GED or…