Thursday Thoughts for July 30, 2020

This week, I am sharing some ideas about how we can improve the system of criminal justice in our country.  There is currently a lot of discussion going on about crime and policing in our nation.  While critically important, I will leave those dialogues to others for now. Instead, I want to talk about several topics that can help break the cycle of crime.  I have been working on this topic since my first campaign for governor.  It has always troubled me when people would spend their time arguing about being hard or soft on crime.  My position has always been about creating a system of “smart justice.”  

1. Invest in Community Ventures

Community Ventures is a program from my administration and the MEDC to break the cycle of poverty.  This program has a broader application to more than criminal justice; but it had its greatest return on investment when applied to helping people in our parole or probation system.  The concept is simple.  There are a lot of government poverty and workforce programs; but often these programs miss solving the key issue that keeps someone from succeeding at work and gaining economic self- sufficiency.  Community Ventures worked with employers and program participants in a public-private partnership to provide the extra resources where they were needed the most.  We found quite often the biggest impediment to successful employment was not having reliable transportation to and from work, or the lack of childcare.  Also, the program often provided coaching support services to the participants to help  address the ongoing challenges that they faced in life.  The results were impressive and validated by outside third parties.  The program still exists in some form today; but, it should be reconstituted on a larger scale based on learning of what worked well and what didn’t since its initial days.

2. Continue and expand specialty courts

During my two terms, we dramatically expanded specialty courts in Michigan.  We created specialty courts to help non-violent offenders receive help they need and avoid incarceration.  Incarceration generally only makes the underlying problems worse.  If someone has a substance abuse problem or mental health issue, let’s get them the needed professional help and support programs.  There are over 180 such courts in Michigan today directed toward drugs, mental health, and veterans’ treatment.  We need more of these courts in our state and nation.  They require additional resources and judges who believe in the topic.  Also, there could be more kinds of specialty courts created.  Thank you to the judges and their teams who are facilitating these courts.  It is hard work.  Fortunately, we have many judges who are passionate about helping people.  

3. Continue to expand our Vocational Villages

This was one of my favorite programs during my time in office.  Vocational Villages demonstrate how our correctional system can work to bring positive outcomes for individuals who are incarcerated.  People have discussed and created prisoner reentry programs for generations and most of them haven’t been very good.  Too often, prisoner reentry programs were geared to begin in the last 90 days to six months of someone’s sentence.  I view programs this brief as generally short-sighted.  Most individuals who are in a correctional facility are going to return to their community. During their entire time of incarceration, we should be working to help them positively reenter society.  

The Vocational Village program was created by Director Heidi Washington and her team at the Michigan Department of Corrections.  The idea was to create a true training and work environment for inmates to succeed while in the facility and when they returned home.  Participants are housed together and go to work on a normal workday schedule with opportunities to earn industry certifications in areas such as construction, auto repair, and many other fields with good-paying jobs.  I drove Heidi crazy pushing to include robotics and computer coding in the program, which she did.  In addition to learning the technical skills, participants also learn soft skills such as interviewing and resume writing.  

One great innovation that linked these skills is having employers interview and present offers to participants before their release date.   The traditional model of waiting to provide employment services until after release is difficult to understand.  Why wait?  We should help get people working as soon as possible.  Thank you to the employers who have participated in this program.  You are making a difference and helping all of us.   I met some very talented people in this program from certified master mechanics teaching other participants to people programming robots, to talented woodworkers making beautiful pieces. 

4. Support and expand innovations such as the Angel Program

In 2015, the Gloucester Massachusetts Police Department created the Angel Program.  The Michigan State Police and the Escanaba Public Safety Department took the lead in Michigan and created similar programs.  Someone with a substance-abuse problem can walk into one of these police facilities and say they need help.  Instead of facing arrest, the departments match the individuals with “Angel” volunteers who walk them through the treatment process.  It has been great.  Over 300 people have participated in the Michigan State Police program.  I have listened to participants, Angel volunteers and law-enforcement members telling powerful stories of positive outcomes.  We need to have more innovative programs like this one. 

5. Encourage and support non-profit organizations who also are helping

During my time as governor, I really enjoyed working with a program called “Chance for Life.”  This program is over 20 years old and run by two great people - Tom Adams and Jessica Taylor.  A highlight of its services is helping inmates learn mediation and dispute resolution skills.  Learning these skills has made a difference in reducing violence in facilities and increasing success after returning to their communities.  Many of the participants have been people who committed serious violent crimes.  I have interacted with participants when they were still in facilities as well as years after release.  It has been great to learn about and watch their journey to becoming positive and productive members of our society.  We should work to encourage similar programs across our nation.

The list above is just a snapshot to illustrate that we need to work harder on improving our criminal justice system.  We spend a lot on the consequences of crime and the human suffering is awful.  We need to do more to address the underlying causes such as poverty, unemployment, mental health problems, and substance abuse.  The best answer is simply preventing  the crime from happening. The next-best thing is to make sure that a person who has committed a crime never does again because they are now a positive contributor to our society.

Remember, Relentless Positive Action in your life will help you and others. So, I wish you RPA every day!