1/30/07

Helping ex-convicts navigate obstacles they may face as they make the transition from prison to the general population is the focus of a website recently launched by Legal Aid of Western Michigan’s Re-Entry Law Project (RLP) and the Michigan Poverty Law Project.

The Michigan Re-Entry Law Wiki (http://reentry.mplp.org/wiki) provides visitors with answers to frequently asked questions, current case law, statutes, trends regarding prisoner re-entry, and downloadable forms for everything from obtaining a state identification card to expunging criminal records. It also contains a wealth of information to help lawyers, judges, social service providers, and others involved in the re-entry process.

The wiki format allows the site’s collaborators to easily update information. The RLP and the Michigan Poverty Law Program spearheaded the site’s implementation and design, with financing provided by the Michigan State Bar Foundation, the Grand Rapids Community Foundation, the Open Society Institute, and the Justice, Equality, Human Dignity, and Tolerance Foundation.

The State Bar's Criminal Issues Initiative (CII) also assisted with the website’s development. The CII operates under the Bar's umbrella volunteer committee, Justice Initiatives, which has assumed the challenge of meeting the many needs that arise from the interconnection of civil and criminal issues.

*For more information on the Michigan Re-Entry Law Wiki, contact SBM Equal Access Initiative program manager Kathleen Conklin at kconklin@mail.michbar.org

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*March 13, 2008: Staff information changed to reflect current contact person.