Blog

Criminal justice does not end at the prison gates. Individuals with past convictions for drug possession can go the rest of their lives without access to public benefits that everyone is entitled to. Civil penalties continue to harm individuals even after they have served their sentences. These discriminatory penalties have far reaching effects on individuals and on the wider society.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) forbids courts to publish information pertaining to a personal protection order (PPO) online if that information will likely reveal the identity or location of the party protected by the PPO. The provision was enacted as an additional safety measure for victims of intimate partner violence and was intended to prevent abusers and others from gaining identifying information, including addresses, by scrolling online court records.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (“MDHHS”) must attempt to recoup the overissuance of food assistance benefits whenever a recipient receives more benefits than she is entitled to receive.