The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to building a data-informed prosecutor’s office that prioritizes equity, fairness, and harm reduction. Towards that end, the Prosecutor’s Office is partnering with independent  researchers on two separate—but related—projects: (1) a robust study into racial disparities in Washtenaw County’s legal system, and (2) the identification, and publication, of performance and equity-based metrics. 

The “Prosecutor Transparency Project” is the first partnership of its kind in the State of Michigan. It is geared towards taking an unflinching look at potential racial inequities in the Prosecutor’s Office—and taking action to eliminate inequitable treatment. 

Thanks to generous grants from the University of Michigan, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan, and the Vital Projects Fund, no taxpayer funds will be expended on the Project. Work on the Prosecutor Transparency Project commenced in January, 2021. 

Results of the project will be transparently released as they are available. 

Read the Press Release Announcing the Prosecutor Transparency Project

The new laws will end the practice of locking up hundreds of thousands of Michiganders for non-dangerous offenses  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

January 04, 2020  

CONTACT: Daniel Jackson, djackson@aclumich.org 

DETROIT, Mich. – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan applauds Governor Gretchen Whitmer for signing a series of bills into law today that are critical to reforming Michigan’s criminal legal system. The new laws will end the practice of locking people up for minor offenses, such as driving on a suspended license and other non-dangerous traffic violations. They will eliminate many mandatory jail sentences, do away with a one-size-fits-all approach to setting probation and parole conditions, and will expand law enforcement’s ability to issue citations requiring people to show up to court in lieu of arrest.  

The legislation is based on recommendations from the Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration, which Whitmer established by executive order in April 2019. The Task Force’s aim is to reduce jail admissions and lengths of stay, expand alternatives to jail, better align state laws with constitutional principles, and provide support and services to crime victims. The Task Force is led by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II and Michigan Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack and supported by a diverse coalition of organizations, including the ACLU of Michigan. The reform laws are based on data and research collected in partnership with The Pew Charitable Trusts.  

Here are some of the Task Force findings that led to today’s reform laws: 

In the 20 counties the Task Force studied, Black men made up just six percent of the overall population but accounted for 29 percent of all jail admissions 

Driving without a valid license was the third most common reason people went to jail in Michigan 

In 2018, nearly 358,000 licenses were suspended in Michigan for failure to appear and failure to pay fines and fees 

Kimberly Buddin, ACLU of Michigan policy counsel, had this reaction: 

“Governor Gretchen Whitmer has shown tremendous leadership in establishing the Task Force and enacting these bills into law. As a result of these reforms, hundreds of thousands of people will no longer be needlessly locked up each year in Michigan, but will be home with their families, at work, and in their communities. Thanks to her work and the work of Lt. Governor Gilchrist, Justice McCormack, bipartisan legislative leaders and the coalition partners, all of whom worked tirelessly on these reforms, our state is well on its way to having a just and fair system for all.”  

Download statement here.