| MPRI eNews
Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Update
August 2008 |
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| Welcome to MPRI eNews for August! |
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To all the new subscribers to MPRI eNews, wecome! This newsletter is now reaching well over 1,800 policy makers and practitioners all across Michigan.
We've included a new feature in the issue, which we hope will be useful to you. If you'd like to travel in time to see past issues of MPRI eNews, look in Quick Links on the lower left and click on Past Issues. Or just click here. If you have not yet invited your networks of colleagues, friends, or family to subscribe to MPRI eNews, you can do so by sending this link to your email list:
You can forward a copy of this edition only by clicking here. That works best for sending to only a few folks.
As always, we thanks you for reading! Please send us your comments and suggestions.
Jeff Padden and Paul Elam
Public Policy Associates, Inc. |
| Governor Comments on MPRI in Veto Message |
| As reported in the Late July Edition of MPRI eNews, Governor Granholm signed into law the budget bill for the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) on July 18, 2008. What we did not know at that point was that her veto message for the one line item she disapproved contained a very positive comment about the MPRI. She said:
"...I am pleased that this bill includes $33.2 million for prisoner reintegration programs. The Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative (MPRI) reduces crime and the rate of offender return to prison by providing offenders the tools they need to be successful when returning to the community. I am also encouraged that discussions that have commenced with the Legislature, the Executive Branch, and stakeholders through the Council of State Governments' Justice Reinvestment Initiative will continue. This initiative is a sound strategy for reducing spending on corrections while keeping the public safe...."
The vetoed item was unrelated to the MPRI. To see the entire Corrections budget as enacted, click here. |
| MPRI Receives Federal Grant |
The U.S. Department of Justice has awarded $540,000 to the MDOC/MPRI as part of its FY-08 Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI). As a condition of this award, the MPRI will also be receiving a companion grant from the U.S. Department of Labor estimated at $162,000. The re-entry project will deliver pre-release vocational assessments and training and post-release employment placement and support services. The funding will flow from the MDOC to the MPRI Administrative Agency for Genesee and Shiawassee Counties, the Genesee County Office of Community Corrections. That agency will competitively select a Faith Based or Community-Based Organization (FBCO) to carry out the post-release portion of the project. This is Michigan's third PRI grant. The other two operate from Oakland and Wayne Counties, with MPRI Administrative Agencies managing them as well. For more on the grant, click here. To learn about the DOJ Prisoner Reentry Initiative, click here. |
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| New MPRI Advisory Council Sets First Meeting |
Created through an Executive Order by Governor Granholm in July, the MPRI Advisory Council is set to meet for the first time in October. This high-level state-government group is comprised of the directors of seven state agencies and will begin to carry out its charge to identify and overcome barriers to full implementation of the MPRI and to improve coordination among the departments of state government. The Council will consult and collaborate with all relevant MPRI stakeholders in carrying out its work. For the full text of Governor Granholm's Executive Order, click here. |
| Focusing on the Family |
The MDOC is gearing up to launch three family-focused demonstration projects in early 2009. The Department will partner with Family Justice, an organization based in New York City with a mission to tap the strengths of families with a loved one involved in the criminal or juvenile justice system, and Michigan's Domestic Violence Treatment and Prevention Board. The three projects will build on the knowledge gleaned from Family Justice's La Bodega Model and lessons learned from Kent County's family-related demonstration project. Demonstration sites include: - Kent and Allegan Counties | Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility - Muskegon, Ottawa, and Oceana Counties | West Shoreline Correctional Facility - Northwest Michigan | Pugsley Correctional Facility To read about Family Justice, click here. To learn more about the Domestic Violence Treatment and Prevention Board, click here. |
| MDOC Staff Development Accelerating |
The MPRI means a whole new way of doing business for the staff of the MDOC. Learning how to develop and use the COMPAS Assessment, create and update Transition Accountability Plans, and use collaborative case management (CCM) techniques in working with prisoners are all essential to build the capacity necessary for the MPRI to succeed.
So far this year, nearly 2,000 MDOC staffers have received COMPAS/TAP training. Also, two dozen MDOC staff members from both prisons and parole/probation will soon participate in train-the-trainer sessions on CCM presented by nationally renowned expert Dr. Marilyn VanDieten. Those 24 will, in turn, train over 6,000 other MDOC staffers in the next two years. |
| Summit on Homelessness - October 16-17 in East Lansing |
The upcoming Summit will include a session focusing on the challenges faced by returning prisoners seeking stable housing, the positive impact of accessible housing on community safety, and the progress of the MPRI in addressing the issue. It will be presented by Jim Yarborough of the MPRI staff and two Community Coordinators, Mary King of Washtenaw and Lesia Pikaart of south central Michigan, who have been working on housing issues for returning prisoners. The session will provide a terrific opportunity to network with housing professionals from across the state.
Registration information will be posted soon on the Summit Web site. Click here to check. |
| Summit on Poverty to Include Corrections Focus - November 13 |
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On November 13, 2008, the first Michigan Summit on Poverty will be held at Cobo Center in Detroit. The event will include a special focus on the relationship between corrections and poverty. Governor Granholm and Martin Luther King III will speak. The goal of the session is to mobilize action aimed to eliminate poverty.
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| Candidate Education on the MPRI Continues |
Shortly before the August 5 primary election, each candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives received a letter and brochure from Public Policy Associates, Inc. providing the basics about the Initiative. This education process will continue through the election season with three more mailings scheduled. It is a great time to contact candidates in your legislative district to tell them about your experiences with the MPRI. No mailing from Lansing has nearly the impact of your call to a local candidate. For a copy of the letter, click here. If you don't know what House district you are in, click here. Once you know your district number, click here for a list of all candidates and their contact information. This includes both incumbents and challengers. | |
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