July/August Newsletter
Goodbye July, Hello August!
This month has been packed to the brim! While we are saying goodbye to some of our interns, we also celebrated the birthday of our founding ED, Amanda Alexander (pictured above). We’ve gained some new staff members, joined forces with some powerful community partners, and learned important legal history about Detroit. It’s been an inspiring summer filled with growth and learning so far, and we’re looking forward to only continuing that trend through the rest of the season. We also wanted to let you know that following this newsletter, we will be sending out newsletters less frequently, switching over to a seasonal format.
Governor’s Task Force on Jails and Pretrial Incarceration
The first meeting of the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jails and Pretrial Incarceration was held last week at Wayne State Law School. Members of the community filled every seat in the room, a rare and welcomed surprise which spoke to the impact incarceration has on so many people. Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist introduced the purpose of the task force, which is ultimately to make policy recommendations regarding jails and pre-trial services. Members of the task force introduced themselves to the room, each saying a bit about their background and hopes for the task force. DJC’s Founding ED, Amanda Alexander, whom Governor Whitmer appointed to the task force as representative for pretrial services organizations, thanked the community members for coming to the meeting and encouraged them to return for future meetings and hold the task force accountable. Her full remarks can be found here on our website, and were also covered in Bridge Magazine, The Detroit News, and The Center Square. Pew Research group closed out the meeting by presenting data about jails and incarceration that they’ve collected on the national level, with directives from the task force about the kinds of data that would be useful on the state level going forward. The next meeting will be on August 23rd in Traverse City focusing on Research and Constitutional Landscape. Future meetings will include time for public comment from the community.