Title II Formula Grants

2. Project Abstract

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 to host a one- day learning event for juvenile mental health providers and juvenile court workers for a second time. This event will encourage more collaboration, as well as provide insight to how each sector works. This event is scheduled for the Fall of 2023. The third initiative currently being undertaken is implementation of the recommendations from the Juvenile Justice Reform Task Force. In 2021, the governor issued an executive order that established a statewide juvenile justice Task Force. The purpose of the Task Force was to “lead a data-driven analysis of (Michigan’s) juvenile justice system and recommend proven practices and strategies for reform grounded in data, research, and fundamental constitutional principles.” Task Force members include representatives from across branches of government, political parties, locales, and the juvenile justice continuum representing diverse perspectives, including youth and family members with lived experience of the juvenile justice system. The Task Force had their last meeting in July of 2022, and came to consensus on 32 recommendations, which are still in the process of being implemented to date.