When the bipartisan Michigan Joint Task Force on Jail and Pretrial Incarceration discovered that “Michigan’s jail incarceration rate tripled from 1960 to 2016, even as crime in the state dropped to a 50-year low,” our state sprang into action. On January 4th, 2021, Michigan’s state leaders adopted a groundbreaking criminal justice reform bill package to reduce incarceration and boost public safety. This was an important first step in correcting the injustices that folks in Michigan have faced for so long, especially those in Black and Brown communities.

We need to push for the same reforms at the federal level. Bills like the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which awards grants to schools that reform their disciplinary policies away from the criminal justice system, and resolutions like H.Res.226 to recognize the moral obligation of the United States to guarantee justice for all, are fundamental to criminal justice reform. We need federal policies that work to reduce incarceration rates, prioritize equity and dignity in our justice system, and preserve safety.