Our History
Since our establishment in 1956 as the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency (MCCD), our organization has been a trailblazer in addressing the causes of crime. MCCD was founded by concerned citizen leaders from throughout our state as a vehicle to assure that the laws and policies aimed at controlling crime were fair, effective and affordable.
MCCD changed its name to the Michigan Center for Youth Justice (MCYJ) in January of 2020. This historic name change was a result of a strategic refocus that took place in 2019. We found that while many new and existing organizations were working to reform Michigan’s adult criminal justice, there were no organizations devoted exclusively to advancing policy reforms for Michigan’s youth justice system. As a result, we changed our vision, mission and name to better reflect a laser-focus on advocacy to improve outcomes for justice-involved children, youth and young adults.
70 Years of Advocacy
1996-2006
2016-2026
2006-2016
In honor of our 70th anniversary, State Rep. Kara Hope presented MCYJ with a special tribute commemorating our anniversary signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, State Sen. Jeff Irwin, State Sen. Stephanie Chang, State Rep. Morgan Foreman, and herself.