Washtenaw County racial equity office updates board on youth assessment and resource center plans

At a Washtenaw County Board working session on Oct. 15, 2025, Washtenaw County Racial Equity Officer Derek Jackson updated commissioners on a planned Youth Assessment and Resource Center intended to connect at‑risk youth and families to community services and prevent deeper involvement with the juvenile justice system.

Jackson said the center is “connecting youth to community, not systems,” and described the proposal as a front‑door, early‑intervention hub that emphasizes restoration and diversion rather than punishment.

Why it matters: county presenters said local data show stark disparities and system gaps the center aims to address. Jackson said roughly 70% of children involved in the juvenile justice system in Washtenaw County are Black, while Black youth make up a much smaller share of the 10–17 population. He and other presenters also cited handle‑with‑care notices and chronic absenteeism as signals that early help is needed: staff said 3,800 children received at least one Handle With Care notice between February 2018 and April 2025, and that roughly 31% of the county’s 42,544…