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Officials in Washtenaw County are making major changes in the counties approach to criminal justice.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced on Thursday that a defendant accused of shooting a 6-year-old boy in Ypsilanti Township on Sunday is back in custody.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The juvenile justice system is no longer Washtenaw County’s go-to option when children and teens are accused of minor crimes. Since his term started, Savit has introduced sweeping policy changes to the county’s justice system, including rescinding the county’s no-tolerance policies, scrapping cash bail and combatting racial profiling. “All of this gives rise to a simple conclusion: Our justice system needs to treat kids like kids. Fights involving injuries and/or weapons on or off school property will be dealt with at the discretion of the prosecutor’s office. Petitions can be authorized by APAs if a continued threat to the safety of others is indicated or if the case is “more severe than typical school-related misbehavior.”Find the full policy directive here.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – It was recently announced that Washtenaw County will no longer pursue charges related to marijuana and entheogenic plants. Read: Washtenaw County Prosecutor: No more charges in cannabis, psychedelic plant casesThis means indictments such as possession and distribution related to marijuana or shrooms will all be off the table from a legal standpoint. They can focus on the people who are doing real crime in the community, then it’s definitely worth it,” said a Washtenaw County woman who also chose not to be identified. We should no longer continue to perpetuate the cruel roulette wheel that imposes criminal consequences only on an unlucky few,” said Savit. Criminal charges can still be filed against large-scale operations that are distributing controlled substances if the health of the public is at risk.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit announced that he is rescinding “zero-tolerance” policies that were previously used by the prosecutor’s office. The policies prevented certain defendants from going through substance-use treatment or rehabilitation options in lieu of incarceration. A one-sized-fits-all approach to justice—divorced from the factual circumstances of each unique case—is not justice at all. I said repeatedly during my campaign that my first act as Prosecutor would be to eliminate ‘zero-tolerance policies,’ and we’ve done that today. Everyone involved in the justice system—crime survivors, defendants, witnesses, and families—deserves to have their unique case treated with the care that it deserves.