Michigan has expanded its reentry ID program to Wayne County, a decision that touches the lives of thousands of Detroiters and their families every year. The move ensures that people leaving the county jail, which houses between 1,300 and 1,500 people daily, can step back into their communities with a driver’s license or state identification card in hand. For many, it is the first tool they will need to reclaim stability.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson underscored what is at stake. “People deserve to be able to move forward after serving their time. Having an ID is a critical first step,” she said. “You need an ID to apply for a job. You need an ID for housing. You need an ID to enroll in education and training programs.” Wayne County Sheriff Raphael Washington pointed to the scale of the issue: about 60 percent of people incarcerated in the jail last week did not have valid identification. “We’re looking forward to changing that,” he told reporters.
The program has been underway since 2020 and has already provided identification to roughly 20,000 people leaving Michigan prisons and jails. By extending it to Wayne County — home to Detroit, the state’s largest Black population — the state is addressing one of the clearest barriers to reentry. Identification is the foundation for everything that comes after release. Without it, a person cannot cash a paycheck, rent an apartment, apply for benefits, or even pick up medication. In Detroit, where jobs are scarce and affordable housing is even scarcer, that missing piece often pushes people back into cycles of instability.
For Black residents in particular, the consequences of not having identification are compounded by over-policing and racial profiling. Driving to work without a license can lead to arrest. Attempting to work informally can spiral into fines or probation violations. When people are released without ID, families are forced to step in, piecing together documents like birth certificates or social security cards while covering transportation, clothing, and food. The weight of reentry falls squarely on households already under strain.
Detroiters know the stakes intimately. Nearly three-quarters of those detained in Wayne County Jail are Black, despite the county being just over one-third Black. These disparities reflect a long pattern: aggressive policing in majority-Black neighborhoods, higher rates of pretrial detention, and court systems that punish poverty. Against this backdrop, an ID card is not a small detail. It is often the difference between getting a foothold in the labor market or slipping back into the justice system.
The state’s recidivism rate stands at 21 percent, the lowest in Michigan’s history. Advocates attribute part of that progress to programs like this one. Research shows that people without housing or steady work within the first months of release are far more likely to reoffend. Identification clears the first hurdle. It allows a returning citizen to get on a payroll legally, sign a lease without a co-signer, or apply for public benefits while searching for work. It makes participation in job training programs or community college possible. The tangible impact is measured in lower returns to prison and stronger neighborhood stability.
Voting rights are also tied to identification. Michigan law allows people with felony or misdemeanor convictions to vote once they are no longer serving a sentence. Those on probation or parole and those detained pretrial are eligible. Yet confusion around these rules silences many. In a majority-Black city like Detroit, access to the ballot is directly linked to access to IDs. A person leaving jail with identification in hand is not just able to rebuild their personal life. They are able to rejoin civic life.
Community groups have long insisted that this kind of reform was necessary. Detroit-based H.O.P.E. describes its mission as empowering individuals “to find healing by addressing the barriers created by systemic injustice. Through restorative practices, we provide support and opportunities for those affected by the judicial system to realize their full potential.” The expansion of the ID program represents a state response to the barriers H.O.P.E. and similar organizations have worked against for years.
The legislative path has been less straightforward. Last year, lawmakers approved bills that would have required the Department of Corrections to apply for identification on behalf of people preparing for release. Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed the bills, citing technical issues that conflicted with other election law changes. In her veto letter, she wrote, “I fully support the policy behind these bills. I look forward to working with the current Legislature on passing this important criminal justice reform issue in the near future.” While statutory changes stalled, the expansion to Wayne County demonstrates that the administration is continuing the work through executive action.
Michigan is now one of at least 17 states providing identification as part of reentry. The idea has been adopted across political lines because it produces measurable results. States that have implemented similar policies report reduced recidivism, stronger employment outcomes, and less reliance on social safety nets. For policymakers, the case is practical as much as moral: providing IDs is inexpensive compared to the costs of repeated incarceration.
Yet the weight of the change will be felt most in homes across Detroit. A father leaving jail with an ID can immediately apply for construction work or warehouse shifts, jobs that keep families afloat. A mother can sign a lease in her own name instead of couch-surfing with children. A young adult can re-enroll in community college or trade school without bureaucratic delay. These outcomes ripple beyond the individual, affecting children, partners, and entire neighborhoods.
The expansion also raises questions about what true reentry support should look like. Identification is a starting point, but it does not address housing shortages, wage disparities, or the trauma of incarceration. Black Detroiters returning from jail face landlords who discriminate, employers who refuse to hire people with records, and probation systems that criminalize poverty. Identification is necessary, but it is not sufficient. Advocates argue that reforms must go further — ensuring fair hiring practices, expanding affordable housing, and investing in mental health services.
Detroiters have always shouldered the burden of reintegration. Churches, block clubs, and nonprofits often step in where government falls short. Families organize rides to job interviews, pay for application fees, and navigate systems that assume access to documentation. By embedding ID distribution in the jail system, the state is acknowledging that the burden should not fall entirely on families and communities. It is a shift toward meeting people where they are, not expecting them to claw their way through red tape after release.
Secretary Benson called the program “a critical first step.” For people leaving Wayne County Jail, that step is now less uncertain. The policy gives them a document that affirms their right to participate in society, to work, to live, to vote. For Detroit’s Black community, where incarceration has been used as a tool of control, this recognition is significant. It represents not only access to services but also a measure of dignity.
Families waiting outside the jail gates will now see their loved ones return with something more than the clothes they wore inside. They will return with proof of identity, proof of belonging, and the chance to begin again with a barrier already lifted. In a city that has carried the weight of systemic injustice for decades, that shift matters.
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