Identifying the Barriers to Equity: Understanding the Local Impacts of the Criminal Justice System

Host: 

Emily Kieliszewski, Member Programs Lead, Michigan Municipal League

 

Guests:  

Erin Keith, Geoffrey Leonard, and Rubina Mustafa, Staff Attorneys, Detroit Justice Center

 

In this discussion with legal staff from the Detroit Justice Center, we explore the broader impact of our criminal justice system in the racial and economic inequities present in our local communities - and the role of local governments in making change. The presenters use their recent report on traffic enforcement practices, “Highway Robbery,” as an example of how our familiar police and court activities criminalize poverty, pushing a disproportionate number of Black Michiganders into the jail system. We discuss how this intersects with our broken municipal finance system, and what actions leaders can take locally—through their own policies, through partnerships with their courts, and through advocacy for state-level reforms.