Partners for Justice: Washtenaw County’s Criminal Justice Collaborative Council (CJCC)

• Delphia T. Simpson, Chief Public Defender, Washtenaw County
• Sheriff Jerry L. Clayton, Washtenaw County
• Sue Shink, Washtenaw County Commissioner District 2

 Washtenaw County’s Criminal Justice Collaborative Council (CJCC) works to develop collaborative plans, programs, and positions to reduce systemic stumbling blocks to the efficacy and fairness of our criminal legal system. The members of the CJCC include 20 elected and appointed leaders in criminal justice as well as four appointed members from the community. The main focus of the CJCC has been to develop interdisciplinary strategies to alleviate jail overcrowding, and to make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners about how to implement and fund those strategies. Future efforts of the CJCC include a focus on reintegrating inmates into the community to reduce recidivism, and developing common technology solutions to enable criminal justice agencies to collaborate more effectively. In this presentation we’ll hear from three leading members of the CJCC, and have an opportunity to ask questions about past work and future plans.

 Delphia T. Simpson is Chief Public Defender of Washtenaw County. Since receiving her JD from University of Maryland, Ms. Simpson has practiced family law at the Legal Aid Bureau of Maryland and at the Michigan Poverty Law Program. In 2001, she began working with the ACLU of Michigan as its Racial Justice Staff Attorney.  In that role, Ms. Simpson focused on racial profiling, and serving as co-counsel on the Eastpointe, MI “Bicycling While Black” case. Ms. Simpson joined the Office of the Washtenaw County Public Defender in 2003, becoming the county’s chief public defender in 2017. The Vanzetti Hamilton Bar Association awarded Ms. Simpson the 2015 Frederick Douglass Racial Justice and Harmony Award, and in 2017 she received the Washtenaw County Leadership Award.

 Jerry L. Clayton is serving his fourth term as the Sheriff of Washtenaw County. During his career with the Sheriff’s Office, Sheriff Clayton served as a front-line corrections officer, deputy sheriff, and command officer. He was also appointed to the following executive positions: Corrections Commander, Police Services Commander, and SWAT Team Commander. Sheriff Clayton has been a certified criminal justice trainer and instructor for more than twenty-five years, providing training and consulting services to a variety of private and public-sector clients, including the US Department of Justice, the National Sheriff’s Association, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Sheriff Clayton serves on the boards of the Washtenaw Area Council for Children, the local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Washtenaw County Mental Health Treatment Court Advisory Board, the Washtenaw County Continuum of Care Board (working to end homelessness) and the SafeHouse Center. In 2017, at the invitation of the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights, Sheriff Clayton was the representative from the United States and a presenter at an international conference on law enforcement and bias-based policing in Geneva, Switzerland.

 Sue Shink is Washtenaw County Commissioner for District 2. An attorney, mother and farmer, she brings a wide breadth of experience to the community.  Ms. Shink serves as the Board Liaison to the Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washtenaw County Road Commission, the Washtenaw Food Policy Council, the Coalition for the Remediation of Dioxane (CARD), and the Agricultural Lands Preservation Advisory Committee (ALPAC), Southeast Michigan Works! and the Environmental Council.  She also serves as the Chair of the Board of Commissioners’ Working Session, where issues are discussed in great detail in a public forum. During the COVID-19 crisis, Ms. Shink has worked closely with the Washtenaw County Health Department and residents to ensure the safety of our residents and businesses, whatever their needs, including greater access to testing, safety net services and support for local businesses. Through the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, Ms. Shink volunteers her skills as an attorney to help people who have been abused by their spouses and immigrants ready to become citizens. Ms. Shink is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School and earned a Masters degree in Resource Policy from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment (now SEAS).