LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Last week, the Michigan House and Senate introduced a series of bills aimed at ending life without parole sentencing for juveniles in the state of Michigan.
The legislation, which is bipartisan, aligns with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2012 in Miller vs. Alabama that declared it unconstitutional to give an automatic life without parole sentence to juveniles convicted of homicide offenses. 26 other states have moved ahead of Michigan to make sure their laws comply more closely with the ruling.
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Ronnie Waters is a community engagement specialist with Safe & Just Michigan, a criminal justice reform organization in Lansing. Waters also was sentenced to life without parole as a juvenile but was released in 2020 after a re-sentencing hearing. He said about the legislation, “There is a misconception that Miller v. Alabama ended juvenile life without parole for good, but it did not. States like Michigan can still sentence children to death by incarceration.”
The legislation introduced in Michigan offers a rehabilitative approach – a second chance for redemption of the offenders instead of lifetime incarceration. A set of five Senate bills and five House bills ends the possibility of life without parole for the juvenile offenders under 19-years-old. Instead, they would get a minimum sentence of not less than ten years and maximum sentencing of no more than 60 years. It also provides for a parole review after 10 years.
In addition to that, about 300 incarcerated Michigan prisoners who are currently serving life sentences for crimes committed when they were juveniles would have their sentences reconsidered.
Rep. Amos O’Neal (D) says about the legislation, “The law clearly distinguishes children from adults – this is why ending juvenile life without parole is necessary. These are kids’ lives we are talking about. I can’t stress the importance of this legislation enough: It’s the difference between life behind bars and the opportunity for redemption, grace and mercy.”
Rep. Curtis VanderWall (R) says, “there are people in Michigan prisons who were sentenced as children to life without parole, and their cases need to be reviewed and given another look.”
The bills will go through committee hearings before being voted on by the full House and Senate.
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