Juvenile Justice and Justice for All

"Scales of Justice Lawyer" by allenallen1910 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Welcome to the

Juvenile Justice and Justice for All Advocacy Team

of LWV of Washtenaw County.

Please join our team! We are a small but mighty group. Email justice [at] lwvwashtenaw.org for more information

Upcoming Events:

June 3, 2026, 9AM ET, Kristen Staley, Executive Director, Michigan Indigent Defense Commission, will discuss the current state of Michigan’s public defense system, highlighting successes and pathways for growth, especially focusing on the need to improve youth defense services statewide.
Register for this event here

Kristen Staley is the Executive Director of the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission (MIDC), an autonomous agency housed within the Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. She supports 19 appointed commissioners and leads a dedicated team responsible for developing,implementing, and enforcing statewide standards on the delivery of public defense services.

Kristen has a decades-long background in public policy development, advocacy, and technical assistance focused specifically on youth and adult justice initiatives at the federal, state and local systems.

Click here for videos from our past presentations

Juvenile Justice and Justice for All Advocacy Positions

The LWV Michigan adopted Criminal Justice positions as part of the comprehensive LWV Michigan Social Policy Position (2020). Click here to access the LWV Michigan postions and then select "Social Policy". This supports an “effective, equitable, transparent” system and advocates for changing policing practices, sentencing, and incarceration practices that have dehumanized a large percentage of our population - particularly in communities of color.

The LWV of Washtenaw County supports these priorities.

Effective policies to eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline for Michigan’s children and young adults
Educate and advocate for diversion and deflection in our schools and in our justice system to reduce mass incarceration and to promote public safety
Abolish Life without parole for juvenile offenders
Due process protections for youth suspended or expelled from school, reduce school exclusions
Promote ‘Good Time’ Credits
End Prison Gerrymandering
Productivity credits legislation
Repeal Truth in Sentencing, which dictates that a person must serve every day of the minimum sentence

To visit or volunteer with our team, contact justice [at] lwvwashtenaw.org

Scales with the word "Juvenile" on the left and "Justice" on the right LWV Criminal Justice, Juvenile Justice and Justice Reform Positions and Legislation (July 2022) includes 32 recommendations based on "a data-driven analysis of (Michigan's) juvenile justice system" to provide practices and strategies for juvenile justice reform. Landmark Michigan legislation passed in December 2023, "Justice for Kids and Communities Act". See "Presentations by Keys Experts" below for more information.

In our local and state League, we support particular legislation:

Legislation to Abolish life without parole (LWOP) sentences for juvenile offenders

Senate Bill 848-851 State Senator Jeff Irwin

Legislation to support Expulsion Prevention Bills (reduce school removals, protect students, and support due process)

Senate Bills 634, 635, 636 State Senator Jeff Irwin
House Bills 5297, 5298, 5299 State Representative Felicia Brabec

Legislation 2021 End Prison Gerrymandering

Senate Bill 151 State Senator Sylvia Santana
HouseBill 4276 State Representative Sarah Anthony

Legislation 2021 to reinstate Good Time Credits for those in Michigan prisons. Federal prisons have “good time” credits

Senate Bill 649 State Senator Jeff Irwin

Link to LWVUS Impact On Issues National League positions, 'Operations and Governance,' 'Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,' 'content library,' and more.

Presentations by Key Experts

February, 2026, Implementing Juvenile Justice Reform: progress, shortcomings, and the role for advocacy:

Jason Smith, Executive Director of the Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ) presents recent juvenile justice reforms in Michigan, changes for justice-involved youth and implementation which continues to fall short. Jason focuses on efforts to increase community-based interventions, especially formal court diversion, legal defense for youth, and the role public engagement plays in ensuring that reforms translate into real change.
Presentation slides available HERE

December, 2025, Update on the Washtenaw County Youth Career Academy and other Juvenile Justice Issues:

Kevin Mitchell, Director of Children’s Services, Washtenaw County & Sarah Britton, Program Director, presents detailed information about this year's operations of the Youth Career Academy.

October 2025, Advancing Conflict Resolution with Youth Circles:

Belinda Dulin, Director of The Dispute Resolution Center discusses Youth-based Restorative Justice Circles.

May 2025, Youth Violence Research & Prevention: Youth Empowerment Solutions:

Professor Marc Zimmerman and Kate Taelman cover some of the statistics about youth violence, including firearm related violence and victimization. Dr. Zimmerman and Ms Taelman also share an overview of their efforts to address youth violence through the evidence-based Youth Empowerment Solutions after school program.

January 2025, Juvenile Justice Refoms resulting from the "Kids & Communities Act", with Kevin Mitchell, MPA, Director of Children’s Services, Washtenaw County. The reforms implemented since October 2024 include a new screening tool for kids in Washtenaw County and statewide.
December, 2024, Vision for Juvenile Justice Reform, with The Honorable Jeff Irwin, State of Michigan Senator, retrospectives and aspirations.
May 2024, Implementing Juvenile Justice Reform, with The Honorable Patrick J. Conlin, Chief Judge Pro-tem of the Washtenaw County Trial Court and Presiding Judge of the Family Division
March 2024, A Positive School Attendance Program Using Restorative Practices, with Anne Domanski, Restorative Justice Practitioner
January 2024, Justice for Kids and Communities Act: Implementation Overview with Jason Smith Executive Director of Michigan Center for Youth Justice
November 2023, How Unfair Laws and the Culture of Punishment in Schools Can Harm Children and Families with Erin Einhorn, award-winning journalist & author who has written for NBC News, New York Daily News, and Chalkbeat
October 2023, Juvenile Justice Reform in Michigan, An update on Proposed Legislation with Jason Smith, Executive Director of Michigan Center for Youth Justice
May 2023, Eli Savit on the Governor's Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform with Eli Savit, Washtenaw County Prosecutor
March 2023, Governor Whitmer's Task Force on Juvenile Justice Reform with Jason Smith, Executive Director, Michigan Center for Youth Justice and Kimberly Thomas, Co-director, Juvenile Justice Clinic, University of Michigan Law School
January 2023, Toward Racial Equity in Washtenaw County with Racial Equity Officer Alize Asberry Payne
December 2022, Supportive Connections: Keeping "At Risk Individuals" Out of the Criminal Justice System with Karen Field and Jonathan Laye
October 12 2022, New Initiatives at the Washtenaw Youth Center with Terrence Williams
August 3, 2022, Paths to Success, Formula 734 uses music to work with young men of color with Jamall Bufford
July 6 2022, Juvenile Justice Diversion Programs in the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office with Victoria Burton-Harris and Alyson Robbins
July 2022, Speaking for Kids, the Podcast from Michigan's Children, Episode 13, Change is Coming: Youth and Michigan's Justice System 7/27/2022
June 8, 2022, Protecting the Rights of Students Excluded from School with Peri Stone-Palmquist
Feb 2022 Women, Children and Guns, with Patrick Carter MD (Children's Justice study group)
Feb 2022 Fines and Fees - Debt Free Justice – with Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton
Sept. 2021 Partners for Justice: Washtenaw County's Criminal Justice Collaborative Council
Aug. 2021 Policing, Justice and Community: an anthropological perspective
July 2021 Criminal Justice Reform: How is Washtenaw County Doing?