U.S. Justice Action Network Targets Michigan
The U.S. Justice Action Network is a newly formed national bi-partisan group whose sole focus is criminal justice reform across the nation in order to contain costs. However, like all groups who intend to achieve major change, they realize that spreading themselves too thinly will net few if any results. What works best, history has proven, is to pick a place to focus one’s attention and energy, and start there.
For the U.S. Justice Action Network, that place is Michigan. A state where they hope to bring about “sweeping change” to our much-maligned criminal justice sector. Changes that will save us money and reduce the amount of cash spent on criminal justice, in one form or another, here in Michigan.
But what does that mean, anyway? How does this new group plan to go about bringing in these changes and what will they look like?
Well, one of the items on their agenda is the issue of prison population. Because the number of inmates in Michigan has skyrocketed in recent years, the costs associated with housing them, feeding them and clothing them and guarding them has risen as well. Not to mention the cost the state incurs in providing medical care to prisoners. And all of these costs are, naturally, passed on to the Michigan tax payer.
So, in response to this population growth and it’s corresponding financial issue, the U.S. Justice Action Network plans to work towards reducing the jail and prison populations through new and changed legislation. Another issue they plan to address here is “swift and fair justice” in the form of victim’s rights.
Working together with the U.S. Justice Action Network are a number of other organizations from around the U.S. Included in that list are the American Civil Liberties Union, Faith & Freedom Coalition, Right on Crime, Americans for Tax Reform, the Center for American Progress, and FreedomWorks, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.
In early spring of this year, Governor Snyder spoke on several occasions about major changes that need to take place across Michigan. Changes that would put the focus on rehabilitation to reduce recidivism, as opposed to incarceration. In the coming fall, he intends to begin introducing new legislation aimed at this exact issue.
We look forward to a future in which Michigan works to assist those accused of crimes, those struggling with addiction, and those whose upbringing has robbed them of a chance at hope. We openly support any and all criminal justice reforms that focus on providing help, hope and rehabilitation. Everybody deserves a chance at life.