On September 6 and 7, representatives of the Michigan League for Public Policy had the privilege of participating in an innovative event: the Michigan Safety & Justice Roundtable. This two-day series brought together hundreds of people from around the state.
Looking around the room, I saw professors and faith leaders, former offenders and law enforcement officers, data analysts and community leaders, prosecutors and public defenders, and folks from all across the political spectrum. To an outsider, we may have looked like unlikely allies. But there was at least one thing we all agreed on: Our criminal and juvenile justice systems are broken.
Instead of rehashing all the problems in our state though, these forums focused on creating solutions—a refreshing change in this time of partisan blame games and mudslinging. We heard practical, sound advice from our keynote speakers, then rolled up our sleeves and got to work in issue-specific, focused breakout sessions on making recommendations to solve the problems in Michigan’s justice system.
The roundtable’s key issues included:
- Raising the age of legal adulthood within the court system to 18;
- Eliminating post-incarceration barriers to employment and reacclimation, like banning the box and making occupational licensing fairer for those with criminal records;
- Improving data collection and reporting for the criminal and juvenile justice systems;
- Addressing the unfortunate connection between poverty and incarceration, including an inability to pay bail, costs and fines; and
- Pursuing alternatives to incarceration and ways to shorten prison stays to reduce our prison population and its related costs, like the objective parole legislation that was recently signed into law.
We at the League are so grateful to the Hudson-Webber Foundation for hosting this important event and including the Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the League in the process. We look forward to continuing this hard work and making real change.
The League has long been a proponent of all these issues, with our Kids Count project doing major work on the Raise the Age campaign. We were pleased that on Tuesday, Sept. 25, the Michigan House Law & Justice Committee at long last held a hearing on the issue, where we saw bipartisan support behind developmentally appropriate interventions for kids in the justice system—and the committee continued to discuss the issue at another hearing today.
Seventeen-year-olds are not adults, yet our state automatically treats them as such under the law. We are woefully behind the rest of the nation in this regard; 46 of 50 states agree that 17-year-olds should not be tried as adults, but Michigan is one of the four that has fallen behind.
To help raise the alarm on raising the age, please act now and ask your lawmakers to support this bipartisan package of bills.
Corrections reform is truly one of the cornerstones of our work. The League has existed for more than 100 years and we trace our roots to 1912, when we were called the Michigan Conference of Charities and Corrections. And while child labor laws and some of the issues we faced back then have improved or become obsolete over the last century, other challenges facing Michigan residents, especially those in the criminal justice system, are just as pressing today as they were then.
Our state has a Department of Corrections, not a Department of Incarceration, and we need to do a better job of helping advance the lives of the roughly three million Michiganders who have some type of criminal record. It’s the right thing to do for them, their families and our state.
From the First Tuesday newsletter
Sign up for the newsletter and e-news
Jay Cutler joined the League in March 2026 as the Kids Count Senior Data Analyst, where he collects, analyzes, and prepares data for Kids Count in Michigan.
Danielle Taylor-Basemore joined the League as the Development Data and Stewardship Coordinator in June 2025. She brings with her five years of nonprofit experience with a special focus on community engagement, data visualization and strategic programming. Prior to joining the League, Danielle served as the Business District, Safety, and Digital Manager at Jefferson East, Inc.
Scott Preston is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Michigan League for Public Policy, where he leads the organization’s immigration and criminal justice reform portfolios. In the three years prior to joining the League, Scott facilitated the Southeast Michigan Refugee Collaborative and managed a small business economic development program at Global Detroit. His work included launching Michigan’s first Refugee Film Festival and building on a trusted connector model that linked marginalized communities with crucial resources. Scott’s work at the League is informed by his background in journalism and research. He spent four years covering the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East for publications such as The Economist, and later worked with unaccompanied refugee minors through Samaritas. Scott holds a master’s degree in international migration and public policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Kate Powers joined the League as the Chief Development Officer in February 2025. Prior to joining the League, Kate held leadership positions at many Michigan nonprofit organizations, most recently serving as the COO and Chief Development Officer of Ele’s Place. Kate has spent the bulk of her career in fundraising, with a short stint in the state Legislature as a legislative aide to members in both chambers. Kate is a graduate of Michigan State University’s James Madison College with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and has a certificate in fundraising management from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. Additionally, Kate served on the East Lansing Public Schools Board of Education and is a past President of the Junior League of Lansing. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her husband and her son and saving outfit of the day and home decor ideas on Pinterest. 
Nicholas Hess joined the League as the Fiscal Policy Analyst in September of 2024. In this role, Nicholas focuses on tax policy, government revenue, and their impact on working families and racial equity, including the effects of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Nicholas values the role that judicious fiscal policy can play in the improvement of people’s lives and the economy, alleviating inequities along the way.
Audrey Matusz joined the League as the Visual Communications Specialist in September 2024. She supports the team with implementing social media strategies and brainstorming creative ways to talk about public policy. She brings with her nearly a decade of experience in producing digital products for evidence-based social justice initiatives. 
Jacob Kaplan 
Donald Stuckey 
Alexandra Stamm 
Amari Fuller
Mikell Frey is a communications professional with a passion for using the art of storytelling to positively impact lives. She strongly believes that positive social change can be inspired by the sharing of data-driven information coupled with the unique perspectives of people from all walks of life across Michigan, especially those who have faced extraordinary barriers. 
Yona Isaacs (she/hers) is an Early Childhood Data Analyst for the Kids Count project. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience at the University of Michigan, she began her career as a research coordinator in pediatric psychiatry using data to understand the impacts of brain activity and genetics on children’s behavior and mental health symptoms. This work prompted an interest in exploring social determinants of health and the role of policy in promoting equitable opportunities for all children, families, and communities. She returned to the University of Michigan to complete her Masters in Social Work focused on Social Policy and Evaluation, during which she interned with the ACLU of Michigan’s policy and legislative team and assisted local nonprofit organizations in creating data and evaluation metrics. She currently serves as a coordinator for the Michigan Center for Youth Justice on a project aiming to increase placement options and enhance cultural competency within the juvenile justice system for LGBTQIA+ youth. Yona is eager to put her data skills to work at the League in support of data-driven policies that advocate for equitable access to healthcare, education, economic security, and opportunity for 0-5 year old children. In her free time, she enjoys tackling DIY house projects and trying new outdoor activities with her dog.
Rachel Richards rejoined the League in December 2020 as the Fiscal Policy Director working on state budget and tax policies. Prior to returning to the League, she served as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Michigan Department of Treasury, the tax policy analyst and Legislative Director for the Michigan League for Public Policy, and a policy analyst and the Appropriations Coordinator for the Democratic Caucus of the Michigan House of Representatives. She brings with her over a decade of experience in policies focused on economic opportunity, including workforce issues, tax, and state budget.
Simon Marshall-Shah joined the Michigan League for Public Policy as a State Policy Fellow in August 2019. His work focuses on state policy as it relates to the budget, immigration, health care and other League policy priorities. Before joining the League, he worked in Washington, D.C. at the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), providing federal policy and advocacy support to nonprofit, Medicaid health plans (Safety Net Health Plans) related to the ACA Marketplaces as well as Quality & Operations.
Renell Weathers, Michigan League for Public Policy (MLPP) Community Engagement Consultant. As community engagement consultant, Renell works with organizations throughout the state in connecting the impact of budget and tax policies to their communities. She is motivated by the belief that all children and adults deserve the opportunity to achieve their dreams regardless of race, ethnicity, religion or economic class.
Emily Jorgensen joined the Michigan League for Public Policy in July 2019. She deeply cares about the well-being of individuals and families and has a great love for Michigan. She is grateful that her position at the League enables her to combine these passions and work to help promote policies that will lead to better opportunities and security for all Michiganders.
Megan Farnsworth joined the League’s staff in December 2022 as Executive Assistant. Megan is driven by work that is personally fulfilling, and feels honored to help support the work of an organization that pushes for more robust programming and opportunities for the residents of our state. She’s excited and motivated to gain overarching knowledge of the policies and agendas that the League supports.
