Safe and just communities are about more than policing. Especially in neighborhoods with high rates of crime and law enforcement engagement, residents also often face chronic insecurity in housing, health, education, transportation, and employment. Therefore, any evaluation of safety and justice in our community requires a broader review of the environment in which crime and criminal justice involvement occurs and should also include the lived experiences and knowledge of community members whose voices are often left out of policymaking and investment decisions.
Grand Rapids now has an opportunity to bring together government partners and community members to create a shared vision for safety and justice that is more holistic, equity-centered, and data-driven. The newly formed Grand Rapids Justice and Governance Partnership (GR-JGP) has been awarded a $150,000 planning grant by the Aspen Institute’s Criminal Justice Reform Initiative to participate in its Justice and Governance Partnership (JGP) program.
The JGP works nationally alongside jurisdictions to promote ecosystemic approaches to improving justice and safety for residents through four key components:
Justice Collaborative
Diverse range of stakeholders, reflecting interests across the wider justice ecosystem
Justice Audit
Consolidated data analysis of the local justice ecosystem that is repeatable and community-informed
Justice Reinvestment Plans
Collaborative policy-making plan for implementing findings of Justice Audits
Justice Intermediary
Consolidated data analysis of the local justice ecosystem that is repeatable and community-informed
Planning Phase
During the planning phase from March-December 2022, the GR-JGP will collaborate with community stakeholders to develop the four core JGP components and a plan for implementation. A holistic Justice Audit will be designed that collects and visualizes data not only from law enforcement and courts but also from a wide range of sources that interact with those systems such as housing, healthcare, education, workforce development, and others. Workgroups comprised of local cross-sector representatives will determine the information to include and track, with the goal of building a comprehensive picture of how public safety and the justice system are experienced neighborhood by neighborhood. At the end of the planning phase, Grand Rapids will have access to multi-year funding and technical support to implement initial and recurring Justice Audits and to develop Reinvestment Plans that identify where interventions are most needed to inform policies and coordinate resources across sectors.
Key GR-JGP Planning Phase Activities:
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 – November 2022
Develop governance structure of future Justice Collaborative and secure data sharing agreements from agencies and organizations for future Justice Audit
Select a Justice Intermediary to lead future JGP activities with the Justice Collaborative
December 2022
Submit proposal for funding to support implementation of Justice Audit and ongoing JGP activities
Who's Involved
Public Agency at WMCAT, a social enterprise of the West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology, is serving as the host organization for the planning phase and will organize GR-JGP activities with community stakeholders. With technical assistance from Aspen Institute and its partners, an initial planning workgroup was formed to initiate the work.
Planning Workgroup Members include:
Jamon Alexander
West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology
Mary Jane Berklich
Bank of America
Tasha Blackmon
Cherry Health
Dr. Avery Brown
Cherry Health
Lou Canfield
City of Grand Rapids
Brandon Davis
City of Grand Rapids
Sandra Gaddy
Women’s Resource Center
Amaad Hardy
Greater Grand Rapids NAACP
Nate Henschel
Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce
LaKiya Jenkins
LINC UP
David LaGrand
Michigan State House of Representatives
Melissa LaGrand
Kent County Board of Commissioners
Michelle LaJoye-Young
Kent County Sheriff’s Office
Joe Marogil
American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan
Jeremy Moore
Spectrum Health
Kate Pew Wolters
KRW Foundation
Kristen Rogers
Grand Rapids Police Department
Angela Ross
61st District Court
Beca Velázquez-Publes
Urban Core Collective
Eric Winstrom
Grand Rapids Police Department
Aaron Yore-VanOosterhout
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University
Aspen Institute is funding the engagement of the GR-JGP with initial support from The Michigan Justice Fund at The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Bank of America, Arnold Ventures, Ford Foundation, Ballmer Group, The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Slack, Inc.
Project Updates
Stay in the Loop
Join our list and be the first to hear project news and updates.