FY 2022 Title II Project

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been designated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer as the Agency responsible for administering the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Title II grant for the State of Michigan. The State Advisory Group (SAG) for Michigan is known as the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice (MCJJ). The MCJJ continues to focus on the four priority areas that they adopted in their strategic planning session in the Fall of 2020. The four juvenile justice priority areas are as follows: 1) establishing a statewide data system; 2) racial and ethnic disparities (R/ED); 3) mental health; 4) delinquency prevention. Subcommittees were established to represent each priority, in addition to a grants subcommittee. Due to the great intersection between the mental health and delinquency prevention priorities, one subcommittee was formed to avoid duplication of effort. These priority areas will aid in identifying long term goals and will guide funding decisions for projects intended to prevent and reduce delinquency for children in Michigan.

Michigan currently awarded a new R/ED grant, which will aide in addressing and reducing R/ED at the arrest decision point. The MCJJ has also partnered with the Bureau of Children’s Coordinated Health Policy and Supports for a one- day learning event for juvenile mental health providers and juvenile court workers, that will encourage more collaboration, as well as providing insight to how each sector works. This event is scheduled for the Fall of 2022. The third initiative currently being undertaken is the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force. The governor issued executive order 2021-6 establishing a statewide juvenile justice Task Force. The Task Force acts in an advisory capacity with the goal of developing ambitious, innovative, and thorough analysis of Michigan's juvenile justice system, complete with recommendations for changes in state law, policy, and appropriations to improve youth outcomes within the state. The work of the Task Force is being facilitated by the Council of State Governments. To date, the Task Force has met ten times, with numerous work group meetings in between. A final report of the Task Force recommendations will be sent to the Governor in August of 2022.