Wayne County approves MDOC community corrections grant and $150,000 intern MOU for prosecutor

The Wayne County Commission voted to accept a one-year grant agreement from the Michigan Department of Corrections to fund adult community corrections programming and to approve a retroactive 26-month memorandum of understanding (MOU) not to exceed $150,000 to provide paid interns to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.

The grant funds were described at the meeting by Ebony McCann, division director, Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services. "These funds are used to provide, programming funding for our adult community corrections division," McCann said, listing in-custody and out-of-custody domestic-violence programming, cognitive behavioral curricula, drunk-driver jail reduction work, adult fugitive apprehension, and adult GPS tether services.

The commission’s prosecutor liaison, Tony Guerrero, chief of legislation, grants and community relations for Wayne County Prosecutor Kim Worthy, told commissioners the MOU provides paid intern positions to help reduce the office’s case backlog and to promote prosecution as a career. "This particular agreement will be for $150,000. It will provide paid interns to the prosecutor's office to reduce the case backlog and also to promote prosecution as a career," Guerrero said. He said the MOU is funded by a state grant approved earlier by the commission as resolution 2024-354.

Nut graf: The grants and the MOU are intended to support existing county programs and court-ordered services by paying vendors and adding staff capacity; commissioners approved immediate consideration to allow vendors and the prosecutor’s office to be paid and to staff internships quickly.

Commission discussion and vote Commissioner Kinloch moved approval of the two immediate-consideration items; Commissioner Clark Coleman supported the motion. No roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript; the chair announced, "Motion carries." Commissioner Wilson was recorded as voting yes during voice roll call.

What the funds will pay for Officials said the MDOC grant pays vendors that already delivered services to probationers sentenced by Third Judicial Circuit Court judges. Lester Thomas, administrator of Delta Community Corrections, joined McCann in describing the programs and said the Community Corrections Advisory Board reviewed the funds on Nov. 13. McCann also said the department has identified a vendor to provide a violence-prevention program aimed at addressing gun violence; she said that program will come before the commission at a later date.

Scope and beneficiaries Speakers said the programs serve people sentenced to probation as adult felony offenders. The prosecutor’s MOU is meant to place paid interns in the prosecutor’s office; Guerrero said the prosecutor has also used outreach and job fairs to recruit candidates from inside and outside the state.

Ending: The commission recorded the approvals as part of the meeting’s immediate-consideration agenda and moved on to other items. The departments said the grant and MOU will allow payment of vendors and begin the internship placements without delay.