[RestorativeJustice] Fw: Women's Prison Emergency Actions, Mini-Grant Opportunities, Webinars, and more: MI-CEMI January Newsletter

Thu Jan 13 16:13:46 CST 2022

 It appears that the protest will be at noon, not 2:00?
Donna
   ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration <mail at mi-cemi.org>To: "donnaclark3 at yahoo.com" <donnaclark3 at yahoo.com>Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2022, 04:29:41 PM ESTSubject: Women's Prison Emergency Actions, Mini-Grant Opportunities, Webinars, and more: MI-CEMI January Newsletter
   Join us THIS SUNDAY for emergency action at Women's Huron Valley & sign the petition.  
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|  Protest Conditions at Women's Huron Valley  |

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|  Emergency Action at Women's Huron Valley Prison 

Sunday, January 16th at 12pm
3201 Bemis Rd., Ypsilanti, MI 48197
 Conditions at Michigan's only prison for women have been problematic for years, and COVID-19 has exacerbated existing problems. Overcrowding, lack of access to mental health and adequate medical services, lack of programming, major staffing shortages which lead to fatigue and outright abuse, antiquated buildings, sewage & heating and cooling systems, and more have plagued Women's Huron Valley. 

Women are forced to live in overcrowded conditions that lead to excessive exposure to COVID-19. The MDOC has provided thin cotton masks that are ill fitting throughout the pandemic. Further, staff who work in crowded areas like chow halls and program buildings have not been mandated to be vaccinated or to be tested daily, every two days, or even weekly. This has led to an immense surge.
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|  Sign the Petition  |

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|  The governor could do more to relieve the overcrowded conditions at the Valley. Listening to social science, public health, and criminology research--the majority of women in prison have been subjected to serious traumas in their histories and, after serving long periods of time, pose NO risk to the community. Their mitigating circumstances are profoundly unique and immense, and the governor should call in experts, outside of the MDOC talking heads, to explore ways forward to address the chronically inhumane conditions and gender specific problems & realities of WHV. She should be looking towards reducing the women's prison population by half and eventually relying on alternatives to imprisonment for the harms caused by women in our communities.  
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|  Sign the Petition  |

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|  A group of outraged and invested community members, loved ones, and formerly incarcerated people call on you to join us in the work to raise awareness on the horrific conditions at the Valley and to work to get our governor and the institutions beholden to her authority, MDOC and MDHHS, to comprehensively address the problems that we are raising through more avenues to freedom and return to safe families and communities of love and care.

Join us on Sunday, January 16th at 12pm outside of the Valley to protest conditions. We will be outside - bundle up and dress warmly!  |

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|  Upcoming Events  |

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|  Racial Justice Panel DiscussionCongregation Shaarey Zedek's Racial Justice Task Force is dedicating 2022 to criminal justice reform. All are invited to explore the Jewish value of pursuing justice (tzedek tzedek tirdof). Panelists with firsthand experience in Michigan's criminal justice system will speak about key issues such as voting rights, re-entry efforts, and community funding.
 Speakers:   
   - Rick Speck, Safe & Just Michigan, formerly incarcerated
   - Ronnie Waters, Safe & Just Michigan, former juvenile lifer
   - Danny Jones, Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration, former juvenile lifer
   - Dr. Christina DeJong, MSU School of Criminal Justice, Associate Professor
Date: Thursday, January 13, 2022
Time: 7pm
Register: https://bit.ly/racialjusticeprogram  |

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|  Webinar "Behavioral Health & Criminal Justice Diversion"Learn about legislation that will help keep those experiencing a behavioral health crisis out of jails, and instead, provide the critical services and supports that are needed.

Speakers:   
   - Algeria Wilson, MSW (Director of Public Policy, NASW-MI)
   - Ericka Parks (Principal Policy Associate, Public Safety Performance)
Date: Tuesday, January 18, 2022
Time: 12 - 1pm
Register: https://bit.ly/Health_Diversion   |

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|  Webinar "Restorative Justice as Diversion"Learn more about restorative justice principles, practices & origins; how schools, courts& tribes are using restorative justice; and how it can be applied widely to individuals before involvement in the criminal justice system.
Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2022
Time: 12 - 1pm
Register: https://bit.ly/RJ_Diversion   |

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|  Mini-Grants Available  |

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|  MI-CEMI has a limited number of mini-grants available! Applications are being accepted now through Friday, January 21, 2022 at 11:59pm. Up to $2,500 per mini-grant is available for member organizations for initiatives, projects, events, etc that align with our goals to:    
   - Prevent incarceration through diversion and changes to policing;
   - Reduce the average length of stay through sentencing and parole reforms;
   - Provide people in prison quality educational and health programming;
   - Reduce the return-to-prison rate through robust reentry services;
   - Reinvest money saved by reducing incarceration back into the community;
   - Lead public education to inform voters and elected officials on issues above.
See what we have funded in the past.  |

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|  2022 Priority Projects  |

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Four priority projects were selected by the MI-CEMI Steering Team at their annual retreat held in the fall of 2021. All projects must align with our areas of focus, and bring us closer to our goals and objectives. The priority projects for 2022 are:

   - Ending Life & Long Sentences 
   - Rejuvenating Re-entry Programming in Michigan
   - Front End Diversion & Alternatives
   - Wellbeing Programming in Michigan Prisons

In addition to these projects, MI-CEMI is involved in and supportive of various other initiatives, including these in 2022:

   - Elimination of cash bail in Michigan
   - Clean Slate implementation
   - Sex Offender Registration Act reform
We will keep you updated as more and new information about these priority projects and initiatives of interest become available.  |

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 Michigan Collaborative to End Mass Incarceration · 1223 Turner St. · Lansing, Mi 48906 · USA 

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