Grand Traverse Humanists will welcome Anna Dituri of the ACLU, who will present on ways to improve Michigan’s criminal justice system, with a focus on what’s going on in our own area.

Michigan has the fifth largest prison population in the country: more than 39,000 people, which is more people behind bars than are incarcerated in Canada. This is costing the state’s taxpayers over $2 billion per year, more than our public education system. Black citizens are six times more likely to be incarcerated than white people. The ACLU Smart Justice Campaign is an effort to eliminate racism in the criminal legal system and reduce the jail and prison population by 50 percent. Anna Dituri will talk about how the Campaign is working to reach these goals by advocating for new laws, helping elect fair and competent prosecutors, and engaging in neighborhood outreach to encourage participation in this effort.

Anna Dituri was born and raised in Traverse City. She is a Field Organizer working to expand the ACLU of Michigan’s presence and volunteer base in Northern Michigan. Anna previously worked at a law office for ten years and as a Court Recorder in the Antrim, Grand Traverse and Leelanau County courts. She obtained her Associates Degree from Northwestern Michigan College and her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Justice from Grand Valley State University.