Related Resources

Michigan

ACLU of Michigan
The ACLU of Michigan’s mission remains realizing the promise of the Bill of Rights for all and expanding the reach of its guarantees to new areas. Through a variety of channels — public education, advocacy, organizing, and litigation — the ACLU is a civil rights organization which defends constitutionally based principles. The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan website also contains publications on juvenile life without parole. 

The Citizens Research Council of Michigan
The Council is a private, not-for-profit public affairs research organization established in 1916 to provide nonpartisan analysis of state and local government organization and finance in Michigan.  At its website can be found information on Michigan's fiscal crisis and the impact of the MDOC's growing budget.

House Fiscal Agency
The House Fiscal Agency is a nonpartisan agency within the Michigan House of Representatives. Agency personnel provide confidential, nonpartisan assistance to the House Appropriations Committee and all other members of the House on legislative fiscal matters.  It contains a visual presentation on MDOC expenditures through 2011. Click here for report.

Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency
Established in 1956, MCCD is a statewide organization dedicated to improving the effectiveness of policies and systems aimed at the prevention and reduction of crime and delinquency.

Michigan Department of Corrections
The MDOC site includes information on prisoners (OTIS), parolees and probationers until they have been free of supervision for more than  three years.  It also contains information about Michigan prisons, victim resources, incarceration and parole data fact sheets and programs and services.   Publications, including annual statistical reports and annual reports, required reports for the state legislature and MDOC policy directives are also available here as well as a link to the state's re-entry initiative.

Prisons and Corrections Section, State Bar of Michigan
The Prisons and Corrections Section of the State Bar of Michigan provides education, information and analysis about issues of concern through meetings, seminars, this site, public service programs, and publication of a newsletter. Policy statements relative to the field of corrections and prisons are included.

Senate Fiscal Agency
The Senate Fiscal Agency (SFA) is a nonpartisan legislative agency created to provide the Michigan Senate with assistance through providing staff support to the Senate Appropriations Committee and assisting all members of the Senate on State budget-related issues; and providing analysis of all proposed legislation being considered by the Senate.  It contains a visual presentation on the causes of growth in the MDOC's prisoner health care budget (Click here for report).

360degrees.org
Perspectives on the American Criminal System
The title "360degrees" reflects both the structure and theme of this web site, designed to offer multiple perspectives on criminal justice. Funded by organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the site offers a unique way to look at the issues and get involved in the processes.

ACLU National Prison Project
The only national litigation program on behalf of prisoners, the American Civil Liberties Union, National Prison Project's site contains information on conditions of confinement, medical care and HIV, mental health care, over-incarceration, prisoners’ rights and women in prison. There are links to publications, legal documents, legislation and Supreme Court cases.

American Correctional Association
The American Correctional Association is an international professional corrections association providing conferences and workshops, accreditation services, professional certification and research.  Corrections Today, a periodical, is available for a fee at this site.

Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice
Provides a wealth of data and links to reports on subjects that include: capital punishment, jails, prisons and probation and parole

Center for Sex Offender Management
The Center for Sex Offender Management (CSOM) is a national clearinghouse and technical assistance center that supports state and local jurisdictions in the effective management of sex offenders. CSOM aims to provide those responsible for managing sex offenders with ready access to the most current knowledge by synthesizing and disseminating research and effective practices to the field; and by offering specialized training and technical assistance on a wide variety of issues related to sex offender management.

Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
The Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce society's reliance on incarceration as a solution to social problems. It develops model programs, provides technical assistance, research/policy analysis, and public education. CJCJ provides a full continuum of services to youth facing or transitioning from the juvenile justice system.

Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE)
This is a national and international membership organization of families of prisoners, prisoners, former prisoners and other concerned citizens.  The  Michigan chapter, MI-CURE, responds to prisoner inquiries, holds an annual membership meeting and publishes an excellent quarterly newsletter.

The Corrections Connection (aka Corrections.com)
This site provides comprehensive directory listings for state, county, federal and international correctional agencies, as well as associations, products, services and online criminal justice websites. Designed for those in the corrections professions, it contains current news stories on corrections issues and reports on treatment programs and security issues. Web links to all the state departments of correction are here. http://www.corrections.com/links/state.html

Correctional Service of Canada
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is the federal government agency responsible for administering sentences of a term of two years or more, as imposed by the courts. CSC is responsible for managing institutions of various security levels and supervising offenders under conditional release in the community. It also contains many well-regarded research reports.

Corrections Statistics by State
This interactive web site, which is a segment of the National Institute of Corrections’ website, provides state-level corrections statistics and charts showing national rankings. The site provides detailed statistics covering crime, population, incarceration, and community corrections.

Council of State Governments
the Council of State Governments serves the executive, judicial and legislative branches of state government through leadership education, research and information services.  The Justice Center within the CSG did an analysis of Michigan's prison and parole population,  re-incarceration and re-arrest rates, and other crime data and made policy recommendations in 2009.  See here for more information.

Family and Corrections Network
This website provides ways for those concerned with families of offenders to share information and experiences in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This is done through publishing on children of the incarcerated, programs for parenting from prison, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers, hospitality programs and a variety of other topics, sponsoring conferences, liaison with other agencies, presentations, and consultation. Information can be found on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers, and a variety of other topics.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums 
FAMM is a national organization of citizens working to reform federal and state mandatory sentencing laws that remove judicial discretion.  It was instrumental in eliminating mandatory drug sentencing in Michigan.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is an anti-crime organization of over 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and violence survivors. It takes a hard look at the research about what prevents kids from becoming criminals and puts that information in the hands of policymakers and the general public.  Michigan has a chapter of the national organization with a website at http://www.fightcrime.org/state/Michigan

JFA Institute
This multi-disciplinary research center conducts theoretical and applied research on the causes of crime and the justice system's responses to crime and offenders.  It receives funding from federal, state and local governmental agencies as well as from foundations interested in developing and evaluating innovative crime prevention, law enforcement, sentencing and correctional policies and programs designed to reduce crime and to improve the quality of the adult and juvenile justice systems.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Established in 1972, NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.  NCJRS offers extensive reference and referral services to help users find answers to their questions about crime and justice-related research, policy, and practice. Search Questions & Answers to access hundreds of questions related to juvenile and criminal justice, victim assistance, drug policy, and NCJRS services. Among its federal sponsors is the U.S. Department of Justice.

Justice Policy Institute
The Justice Policy Institute is a non-profit research and public policy organization dedicated to ending society’s reliance on incarceration and promoting effective and just solutions to social problems.  At it's website can be found information and research on issues affecting incarceration from throughout the nation.

Michigan State Universities Libraries -- Criminal Justice Resources
Criminal Justice Resources Research Guide is at this site. Here you will find general information about locating resources on criminal justice in both in the MSU Libraries and beyond.

National Center on Institutions & Alternatives
Since 1977, the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) has worked to break the destructive cycle often associated with the human service and correctional systems. It provides individual care, concern, and treatment for emotionally disturbed youth, developmentally disabled adults and adolescents, and those involved in the criminal justice system.  The organization assists defense attorneys or defendants facing sentencing, provides capital case mitigation services, parole release advocacy, institutional designation and transfer, and release planning

National Council on Crime and Delinquency
The NCCD is a nonprofit organization which promotes effective, humane, fair and economically sound solutions to family, community and justice problems. NCCD conducts research, promotes reform initiatives, and seeks to work with individuals, public and private organizations and the media to prevent and reduce crime and delinquency.  Reports on issues and services relating to juveniles can be found at this site.

National Institute of Corrections 
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Prisons. The agency provides training, technical assistance, information services, and policy/program development assistance to federal, state, and local corrections agencies. Through cooperative agreements, it awards funds to support its program initiatives. It also provide leadership to influence correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide in areas of emerging interest to correctional executives and practitioners as well as public policymakers. 

Pew Center on the States
The Pew Center on the States is a division of The Pew Charitable Trusts that identifies and advances effective solutions to critical issues facing states. Pew is a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. It takes an in-depth, nonpartisan approach to track and report on what happens across the 50 states and the District of Columbia—using evidence to determine which policies work and which do not.  Pew and its partners advocate for practical reforms, including federal policies that affect states, in various areas such as elections, including corrections.

Prison Legal News
Prison Legal News is an independent 56-page monthly magazine available through a paid subscription that provides a cutting edge review and analysis of prisoner rights, court rulings and news about prison issues. PLN has a national (U.S.) focus on both state and federal prison issues, with international coverage as well. PLN provides information that enables prisoners and other concerned individuals and organizations to seek the protection and enforcement of prisoner's rights at the grass roots level.

Prison Policy Initiative
The Prison Policy Initiative documents the impact of mass incarceration on individuals, communities, and the national welfare. It produces accessible and innovative research to empower the public to participate in creating better criminal justice policy. It published, with the Western Prison Project, The Prison Index: Taking the Pulse of the Crime Control Industry, an accessible index of statistics about our nation's criminal justice system.  The Prison Policy Initiative documents the distortion in our democratic process caused by the Census Bureau counting people where they are confined, not where they come from.

The RAND Drug Policy Research Center (DPRC)
This center is a division of the non-partisan RAND think-tank which conducts empirical research, policy analysis, and outreach to help develop more effective strategies for dealing with drugs.  A wide variety of publications can be found at this site.

Michigan Reentry Law website
This website helps attorneys, corrections staff, social service agencies, and former offenders find out about the legal consequences of having a criminal record. The site contains self-help packets, legal outlines, sample briefs, and links to relevant statutes. Among the topics covered are obtaining criminal records, expungement, employment restrictions, housing restrictions, and public benefits.  It was developed by the Reentry Law Project of Legal Aid of Western Michigan and the Michigan Poverty Law Program.

Reentry, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs
The Prisoner Reentry Initiative is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and its federal partners: the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Labor. This initiative is a comprehensive effort that addresses both juvenile and adult populations of serious, high-risk offenders. It provides funding to develop, implement, enhance, and evaluate reentry strategies that will ensure the safety of the community and the reduction of serious, violent crime. This is accomplished by preparing targeted offenders to successfully return to their communities after having served a significant period of secure confinement in a state training school, juvenile or adult correctional facility, or other secure institution.

The Sentencing Project
This organization is a nationally-recognized source of criminal justice policy analysis, data, and program information. It  promotes reduced reliance on incarceration and increased use of more effective and humane alternatives to deal with crime.

The Urban Institute
The Urban Institute is a nonprofit nonpartisan policy research and educational organization established to examine the social, economic, and governance problems facing the nation. In 2000, the Justice Policy Center at the Urban Institute launched an ongoing inquiry into prisoner reentry research to better understand the pathways of successful reintegration, the social and fiscal costs of current policies, and the impacts of incarceration and reentry on individuals, families, and communities.

Washington State Institute for Public Policy
This institute was created by the Washington State legislature in  1983 to carry out practical, non-partisan research—at legislative direction—on issues of importance to Washington State.  One of their areas of expertise is criminal justice, and they have examined many issues, including the efficacy of treatment programs and recidivism rates for sex offenders. It also constructed an analytical tool for the Washington legislature to help identify evidence-based sentencing and programming policy options to reduce crime and taxpayer criminal justice costs.

 Back to Top