In Minneapolis, they are instead called “justice-impacted.” According to the organization JIIVE (Justice Impacted Individuals Voting Effectively), “Justice Impacted” Individuals refers to individuals who are “consciously aware of their vulnerability due to direct or indirect involvement with the criminal justice system. This includes, but is not limited to, those who have been incarcerated, returning citizens, or those who have experienced negative familial, economic, or social impacts resulting from a relative’s incarceration.”

They go on to say, “The term also encompasses individuals who have been detained, convicted without incarceration, charged, or arrested, as well as those affected by a loved one’s legal system involvement. Justice Impacted Individuals often face barriers in education, employment, housing, and civic participation because of their or their loved ones’ interactions with the legal system.”

In Michigan, these people are called “justice-involved.”

We really shouldn’t be surprised that the left is renaming criminals who steal from us, injure us and kill us. After all, they are the “defund the police” and “abolish ICE” nut jobs. They don’t care about our safety at all.

And Democratic-run Michigan isn’t merely adopting the softer language – it’s helping pay the rent. LEO’s “Housing Access for Justice-Involved Individuals pilot program” uses state dollars to help people with criminal records find housing, including funding for first month’s rent, security deposits and financial incentives designed to persuade landlords to rent to them.

The program “helps support the strategic goals of LEO and the Poverty Task Force in two ways: it promotes inclusion and closes equity gaps by targeting and providing support for a marginalized community, and it builds strong and welcoming communities, with its focus on increasing housing access.”

But maybe criminals SHOULD be marginalized.

Crimes have victims. People have their property stolen, their homes burglarized, their bodies injured and, in the worst cases, their lives taken. Why are the victims and potential victims not the focus of Democratic priorities? Hm… I think we already know the answer to that question.