MARQUETTE, MI— Marquette County is participating in a Jobs Court pilot project over the next two years.
The program is an initiative by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office. It will offer a diversion program for people charged with non-violent felonies. They would be put in a job training program, such as line worker or truck driving schools, and if they’re successful for a year, their conviction will be erased and they’ll have a good-paying job.
Marquette County Prosecutor Matt Wiese says it’s a chance for those in the criminal justice system to try a different path.
“People often don’t have opportunities. And if they get caught in the criminal justice system, and there’s somebody who could be given an opportunity to have a good-paying job that could support themselves and their family, there’s likely a very high probability that they’re going to like that lifestyle better than being charged with a crime and possibly going through the criminal justice system,” he says.
Downstate Wayne and Genesee counties are also participating in the pilot program.
Officials are hoping to enroll 75 to 150 people in Marquette County. They will have intensive supervision with a Compliance Officer—much like a probation officer—with wraparound services like transportation, child care, and work gear, if needed.
Funding for the Jobs Court is officially available October 1. The three counties are working with the Attorney General’s Office to get a program coordinator hired for each jurisdiction. After they and the compliance officers are hired, staff will begin screening cases and making recommendations for diversions.
Wiese says once someone is in the program, their case will be handled by the Attorney General’s staff. That will take the case off the county’s dockets and help clear the backlog created by the pandemic.
