The Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office has become a recognized leader in promoting rehabilitation. Under Eli’s leadership—and working with community and system partners—the Prosecutor’s Office has implemented multiple new programs providing rehabilitative “off-ramps” to the criminal system.

These programs work. Those who participate in these rehabilitative programs are significantly less likely to reoffend than those who go through the traditional criminal legal system. Indeed, a recent study of the Prosecutor’s pre-plea diversion program indicated that not a single defendant was re-arrested in the 6 months following completion of the program.

Rehabilitative programs implemented during Eli’s first term include:

• Pre-Plea Diversion: Washtenaw County now boasts Michigan’s only pre-plea diversion program, which allows those accused of lower-level offenses to access rehabilitative services without ever pleading guilty to a crime.

• Survivor-centered restorative justice: Partnering with the Dispute Resolution Center, the Prosecutor’s Office’s restorative justice program allows survivors of a crime to opt for restorative justice, if participation would not harm public safety.
  If—and only if—survivors opt for restorative justice, the survivor and the person who committed harm can work together with a trained mediator to reach an individualized solution for how the survivor can be made whole.

• Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD): In partnership with the Sheriff’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office, and Community Mental Health, the LEADD programs allows individuals accused of low-level offenses to access behavioral health services without ever being formally charged.

• Specialized Alternative to Sentencing Support (SASS): In partnership with Ypsilanti’s Corner Health Center, this rehabilitative program allows young caregivers to access programming addressing root-cause issues—including behavioral health, job-training, and mentorship services. The program helps keep families together and sets caregivers and their children up for success.

• Problem-Solving Courts: The Prosecutor’s Office actively supports and participates in various “problem-solving courts” which allow people access to rehabilitative services in lieu of traditional probation or incarceration. These include Veterans’ Court, Mental Health Court, Sobriety Court, and Drug Court.

Eli has redoubled the Prosecutor’s Office’s focus on serving victims, particularly victims who may be particularly vulnerable. Among other things, the Prosecutor’s Office has made victims’ rights materials available in multiple languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Dari, Korean, and Mandarin. The Prosecutor’s Office also maintains a partnership with the Human Trafficking Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, so that survivors of human trafficking may access free legal services relating to immigration, family issues, or old criminal convictions.

In 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office entered into a partnership with Fair Michigan to prosecute hate crimes alleged to have been committed as a result of one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Also that year, the Prosecutor’s Office implemented its Transgender Interaction Policy, which makes all employees responsible for creating an atmosphere of respect for transgender, intersex, and gender nonconforming victims, witnesses, and defendants.

We cannot do this work alone. Under Eli’s leadership, the Prosecutor’s Office has secured over $3 million in government and philanthropic grants to be re-invested in the community. These include grants that promote re-entry services for those returning home from jail and prison, grants focused on domestic-violence prevention, and grants geared towards providing wraparound services for families in need.

During Eli’s first term, he established Washtenaw County’s first-ever Conviction Integrity and Expungement Unit (CIEU). The CIEU serves two functions. First, it investigates and remediates old wrongful convictions, including convictions in which the evidence indicates a person was actually innocent of the crime for which they were convicted.

Second, working with community partners, the CIEU assists those who are legally eligible to clear—or “expunge”—old criminal records. To date, the CIEU has assisted over 1,000 residents in the expungement process, allowing people to access jobs, housing, and employment opportunities.