General Info

The American Friends Service Committee ( AFSC ) is an independent Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service. Our work is based on the Religious Society of Friends ( Quaker ) belief in the worth of every person, and faith in the power of love to overcome violence and injustice. Founded in 1917 to provide conscientious objectors with an opportunity to aid civilian victims during World War I, today the AFSC has programs that focus on issues related to economic justice, peace-building and demilitarization, social justice, and youth, in the United States, and in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and at the United Nations ( Geneva and New York ). AFSC's Michigan Criminal Justice Program serves as a monitor and conscience of the Department of Corrections' long-standing misuse of power, state money, and human resources. We advocate for a more humane approach to criminal justice in the state of Michigan. We do this through prisoner-rights advocacy, public education on the destructive role of the growing prison industry. An Advocacy Network of Volunteers is being developed. Training for new, long-term volunteers occurs on a regular basis. Although AFSC is a faith-based organization, we welcome supporters and constituents of all ( or no ) faith traditions. AFSC frequently works in coalition with other organizations, including Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending, Juvenile Justice Coalition, and The State Bar of Michigan Prisons & Corrections Section Executive Council.