Department of State, partners help returning citizens restore driving privileges during Second Chance Month

More than 20,000 returning citizens have received driver's license or state ID since 2020, aiding re-entry to communities, workforce

LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan Department of State (MDOS) observed Second Chance Month in April by hosting Road to Restoration driver's license clinics at two Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) facilities and participating in ReEntry United Inside at Central Michigan Correctional Facility. The events are a part of the department's ongoing effort to ensure Michigan's returning citizens have the credentials they need when they exit prison and to bring essential government services directly to residents wherever they are.

More than 400 residents at the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson and the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti met with MDOS staff and volunteer attorneys to learn the necessary steps to restore their driving privileges prior to re-entering their community. Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson visited the Road to Restoration clinic at Parnall on April 23.

"Our partnership with the Department of Corrections has been transformational for Michigan's returning citizens," Secretary Benson said. "I'm proud of our work to help give them the tools they need to be active and engaged members of their communities once again. We're meeting people where they are and helping create safer, healthier communities for everyone."

Bringing Road to Restoration clinics inside prison facilities is the latest component of the department's initiative to serve Michigan's returning citizens. In 2020, MDOS and MDOC partnered to help returning citizens with a safe and successful reentry by providing them with a driver's license or state ID upon parole. MDOS has launched similar partnerships with the Sheriff's offices in Kent, Genesee, Ingham, and Washtenaw counties for returning citizens at county jails. Prior to these partnerships, MDOS processed about 400 driver's licenses or state IDs for returning citizens. Today, more than 20,000 returning citizens have secured a driver's license or state ID - nearly 6,000 in 2023 alone.

Michigan's returning citizens also have the constitutional right to vote once they exit prison. Returning citizens who secure their driver's license or state ID prior to their release are eligible to have their voter registration automatically activated or updated as soon as MDOC verifies they have exited prison.

ReEntry United is an event hosted by MDOC and Fresh Coast Alliance that provides incarcerated residents tools, resources, and inspiration to successfully return home. The department held two breakout sessions and hosted a resource table to meet with residents at Central Michigan Correctional Facility in St. Louis to discuss the returning citizens ID Program and their right to vote.

The Road to Restoration program was launched by MDOS and partners in the public and private sectors to provide free clinics for Michigan residents looking for a path to restore their driver's license. Approximately 8,000 Michiganders have been served at a Road to Restoration clinic in more than 35 events across the state. The next Road to Restoration clinic is in Battle Creek on May 8. Learn more at Michigan.gov/R2R.

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