Draft Legislation

Law, Development, and Heritage Preservation in India

A variety of pre-colonial monuments and sites in India face threats from demolition, desecration, decay, and pollution. Under the guidance of Professors Vic Khanna (Law) and Nachiket Chanchani (History of Art; Asian Languages and Cultures), University of Michigan students from History of Art, Anthropology, Law, Public Policy, Classical Art and Archeology, and South Asian Studies drafted a bill to protect archaeological monuments, sites, and intangible heritage in Uttarakhand, a border state in northern India.

The Draft Act

  • Establishes bodies authorized to protect ancient monuments and artifacts, including The Heritage Protection Agency of Uttarakhand (HPAU), Offices of the HPAU, Subcommittees of the HPAU, and a Tribunal to dispose of cases relating to cultural heritage preservation and conservation of spaces, structures, and traditional knowledge systems
  • Sets conditions under which archaeological excavations and construction can occur on designated sites
  • Outlines measures to protect select cultural landscapes, monuments, artifacts, and other areas

Professors Khanna and Chanchani plan to use the draft Act (“Act to Protect the Cultural Heritage of Uttarakhand”) as a starting point for discussions with the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.

Health Department Protocol

Identifying Victims of Human Trafficking within Health Care Settings

University of Michigan students in Social Work, Nursing, Law, Public Health, Education, and Public Policy worked with Professors Bridgette Carr (Law) and Michelle Munro-Kramer (Nursing) to identify and aid human trafficking victims who come into contact with a health care provider during their trafficking.

Armed with the knowledge that health care settings offer a unique opportunity to identify victims of human trafficking and connect them to services and support, students and faculty developed a protocol that is in the process of being implemented as a screening and response policy pilot program through the Washtenaw County Health Department.

Several students who took this PSI class have continued to develop the protocol and coordinate its implementation in other settings.

Resiliency Court Pilot Program

Combatting Human Trafficking within Vulnerable Families in the United States

Professors Bridgette Carr (Law) and Vivek Sankaran (Law) worked with University of Michigan students from Social Work, Law, Public Health, and Public Policy to both identify and respond to complex trauma within the child welfare system.

Students from the class worked with community stakeholders and Judges Timothy Connors and Susan Butterwick to develop a pilot program called Resiliency Court for Washtenaw County.

Resiliency Court aims to

  • Identify parents characterized by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and
  • Divert parents with high ACE scores to Resiliency Court to address their families’ needs through case conferencing, peer support, and work with staff trained in trauma.

Resiliency Court was developed to increase the chances that parents could safely reunify with their children.

Two students who took this PSI class, Claire Vetter Collins and Riley L. Wagner, published an article on the project: “Resiliency Court: Identifying and Responding to Complex Trauma in the Child Welfare System,” Michigan Journal of Public Affairs, Volume 15, May 25, 2018: 103-112.

Video Resource: Empowering Tenants in the Washtenaw County Court Program

Access to Justice

Guided by Professors Bridget McCormack (Law) and Kentaro Toyama (Information),  University of Michigan students from Law, Engineering, and Social Work created a video to serve as a resource for tenants in landlord/tenant cases and to help tenants feel empowered to have a voice in courtroom proceedings.

Students sought to

  • include court-specific information to show prospective litigants the environment and process they will experience
  • provide tenants with information about potential legal defenses, resources, and relevant online information
  • encourage tenant attendance in court

Students Andrew Cutillo, Megan Giles, Seyoung Oh, and Adam VanDeusen worked with Judge Simpson from the 14A District Court to develop a video to be provided to tenants prior to an appearance in court. The video, Your Landlord Tenant Case in Washtenaw County, is available for viewing through the Washtenaw County website and here.

Program to Promote "Detroit Music:" Listen Local Detroit

New Music Business Models

University of Michigan students in Social Work, Law, Business, Music, Theater, and Dance, Information, and Public Policy wanted to devise opportunities for working musicians and composers to earn more money from their music. Instructors Jessica Litman (Law) and Jeremy Peters (Music) worked with students as they developed “Listen Local Detroit.” The proposal encourages businesses and musicians to collaborate with each other to promote and nurture Detroit music and Detroit musicians. Today there are many local musicians in a wide range of musical genres composing, performing, and recording music. Detroit has a rich music history, and there is widespread enthusiasm among residents and local businesses for rebuilding the city. The proposal seeks to take advantage of that history and energy.

Listen Local Detroit would

  • raise awareness of local music
  • provide local musicians with opportunities to curate playlists for local commercial establishments and increase the number of live performances
  • advocate fair and transparent treatment of all musicians
  • develop and publicize standards and best practices for contracts
  • create an online educational resource for musicians who want information about the business aspects of their music careers
  • engage members of the community to participate in the project by hosting roundtable discussions with musicians, local business owners, and other members of the music community

Additional information about Listen Local Detroit is available here.