How can technologists and scientists engage communities in a spirit of partnership, without extractive practices? How can community organizations work with researchers in ways that benefit their communities and expand their capacity, rather than burdening their staff? The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy's newest publication, the Community Partnerships Playbook, has some answers.Read More

While Clean Slate is a positive step forward, we believe that this bill package can still be expanded further to benefit Michigan’s most over-criminalized populations.Read More

DJC was proud to partner with Essie Justice Group on the first national survey of women with incarcerated loved ones. The new report, Because She’s Powerful: The Political Isolation and Resistance of Women with Incarcerated Loved Ones, asks and answers the question, what is mass incarceration doing to millions of women who have loved ones...Read More

Wayne County has announced plans to build a $533-million dollar complex, including a new jail. Our fact sheet includes information on the jail project, data on the harms jails cause to individuals, families, and communities, and ideas for possible alternatives.Read More

DJC and our partners at The Bail Project joined forces to address State Rep. LaGrand regarding our concerns with his proposed bail reform legislation. As the two organizations spearheading the first large-scale revolving bail fund in Michigan, we are uniquely positioned to understand this issue from our work on the ground.Read More

A community land trust is community-owned nonprofit that acquires, holds, and sometimes manages land, leasing it to others for residential, commercial, or agricultural uses. As part of our Economic Equity practice, we’ve developed this presentation for communities to use to help them set up community land trusts.Read More

As part of our Economic Equity work, we have compiled extensive resources on setting up a neighborhood advisory council and negotiating community benefits agreements. We’ve worked with our community partners to determine what the best practices are, and hope that this will be a useful tool for anyone interested in advocating for economic equity in...Read More

The Leadership Conference and the Civil Rights Corps created a platform that offers concrete solutions spanning every stage of the criminal-legal process, yielding a comprehensive framework for transformation. The Detroit Justice Center has signed on to this platform in hopes that it will contribute to a truly just vision of the future. Among other policy...Read More

In September 2018, the Detroit Justice Center joined forces with a host of community partners to put together a Restorative Justice Youth Design Summit, where young people in Detroit were asked what they would do with the money that Wayne County and Rock Ventures are spending to build two new jails in the city. Along...Read More