Grand Rapids is collaborating with the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative to form the Grand Rapids Justice and Governance Partnership (GR-JGP), joining a national effort to promote systemic approaches to public safety and justice.
More of Us, For All of Us
Learn about Public Agency’s facilitation of the GR-JGP planning phase.
Public Agency + GR-JGP
Public Agency at WMCAT, a social enterprise of the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, was the host organization for the planning phase of the Grand Rapids Justice and Governance Partnership and facilitated GR-JGP activities with community stakeholders. During the initial planning phase, GR-JGP collaborated with community stakeholders to develop an implementation plan for the four core JGP components, Justice Collaborative, Justice Audit, Justice Reinvestment Plans, and Justice Intermediary.
The Justice Audit designed by GR-JGP collects and visualizes data from law enforcement and courts as well as cross-system sources such as housing, healthcare, education, workforce development, and others. Workgroups of local representatives determined which data to include in order to build a comprehensive picture of experiences with public safety and the justice system.
With the close of the planning phase and selection of a Local Justice Intermediary, Grand Rapids will have access to multi-year funding and technical support to implement initial and recurring Justice Audits, as well as develop Reinvestment Plans that identify where interventions are most needed to inform policies and coordinate resources. Learn more at gr-jgp.org.
March-May 2022
Convene a Planning Workgroup to build a shared understanding of the JGP components and develop goals and the activities needed to achieve those outcomes.
June-August 2022
Engage a broader stakeholder group to define Justice Audit elements.
September 2022-June 2023
Develop governance structure of future Justice Collaborative and secured data sharing agreements from agencies and organizations for future Justice Audit.
Select a Justice Intermediary to lead future JGP activities with the Justice Collaborative.
July-August 2023
Submit proposal for funding to support implementation of Justice Audit and ongoing JGP activities.