Vision and Values

Vision Statement

The Michigan Juvenile Justice (JJ) system will focus on building safer Michigan communities and assisting youth to become healthy and productive citizens through proactive delinquency prevention, efficient law enforcement, effective rehabilitative treatment, statewide data collection and data sharing and comprehensive community reintegration and support services.

Core Values

1. Safer community streets and neighborhoods through the prevention of juvenile crime.
2. Coordinated law enforcement intervention among multiple partner agencies.
3. Local jurisdictional planning, involvement and control.
4. Early intervention and delinquency prevention and diversion.
5. Community, family, and youth centered approaches.
6. Evidence-based delinquency assessment and treatment.
7. Individualized and integrated services.
8. Inclusive collaboration among agencies and communities.
9. Strong connection with higher education to promote research and workforce development.
10. Statewide data collection and analysis that promotes measurable outcomes and information sharing.

Strategic Focus Areas (goals and action steps for each area will be developed)

Safe Communities Through Early Intervention, Diversion and Prevention at the Community Level – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and our community partners will work together towards achieving safe communities, building productive citizens and reducing juvenile crime through supporting law enforcement, schools and local agencies in the development and implementation of aggressive, comprehensive and tailored community programming and creating safe streets by offering programs that target at-risk and gang-involved youth before they enter the JJ system.

Effective Community Programming – The MDHHS, Juvenile Programs Division will work towards assisting each community or region to determine their strengths and weaknesses, resources and gaps for effective JJ programming through a focused and concentrated planning process. The Juvenile Programs Division aims to support and assist communities in the development of innovative programming that includes the principles of evidence-based and outcome driven practices, to aggressively address JJ issues relevant to their communities.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), Data Collection and Analysis – The MDHHS will collaborate to develop a statewide data system and assist communities with the collection and sharing of local data, with clear time frames for determining program effectiveness.  Data and program expertise will be used to provide a CQI process for JJ in Michigan.

Complete and Consistent Continuum of Available Services and Treatment – The Juvenile Programs Division will offer technical assistance, data driven information and blueprint models to communities, along with direct care where appropriate, with the intent of assuring evidence-based JJ assessment and programming is available and attainable statewide.  Focus will be on the broad continuum of care and including all systems and disciplines, with the goal of safe communities and healthy productive youth and families, while promoting a philosophy of family unity and effective parenting.

Evidence-Based Principles/Outcome Driven Funding Through the Child Care Fund – The State of Michigan will be an advocate and a resource for sustainable JJ funding from local, state, federal and private sources.  State funding will be provided through the Child Care Fund and monitored through a tight system of metrics that ensures measureable outcomes, reasonable time frames, accountability, systemic data collection and moves programming toward evidenced-based approaches.  The MDHHS, Juvenile Programs Division will provide technical assistance to communities to help maximize available resources.