Criminal and Juvenile Justice System Mapping: Oakland County, MI

  MappMapingSMany local justice systems have difficulty understanding how to ensure that their systems are achieving the desired results. This is especially true in a state like Michigan that has enacted legislative changes to which counties must align their practices with the state’s vision of desired results. These adaptations must be grounded in an understanding of how the system operates as a whole, which is not intuitive for justice system stakeholders. This is primarily because each stakeholder has specific goals and tasks that may not intersect with other parts of the system. However, to have a high functioning system it is important for all stakeholders – and all levels of employees in each entity – to have an understanding of the whole system and how their work contributes to that system and its outcomes. The system mapping process helps identify optimum outcomes, the extent to which the work of each entity within the system contributes to or hinders system performance, as well as gaps and redundancies in the system that may not align with legislative changes. When successfully moderated, the system mapping process can serve as a forum to devise solutions for local justice systems to align their practices with intended system outcomes.

JMI has engaged in system mapping for many clients. Each mapping project is custom designed based on the unique local culture of the jurisdiction and the context in which the systems operate. Past projects have focused on very high-level maps that examine the relationship of the justice process to intended outcomes as well as more detailed maps that explore the intersectionality of practices across the justice system. System maps can also be helpful in taking a deeper dive into specific part of the justice system (like criminal cases or pretrial decision making) or cover the entire system including ancillary components like the intersection of mental health and other social services.

For more information about system mapping for our jurisdiction, contact elaineb@jmijustice.org.