Senate and Bills Pending in Michigan Legislature
to End Juveniles Being Sentenced to Life in Prison
Without Possibility of Parole
A copy of the Senate Bills that have been introduced by Senator Brater, Switalski and Scott to end this practice appear above as Senate Bills 6,9,28 and 40.
No prisoners who were sentenced to life without parole when they were juveniles will be released if the legislation passes, they will only be provided the opportunity to be reviewed by the parole board after serving 10 years.
This is very important legislation. Please contact your senator and ask them to support passage of these bills.
To support these bills you can copy and paste the text below into an e-mail to send your senator. If you would like to locate your senator's e-mail address you can do so by visiting www.senate.mi.gov.
Sample Letter
Date
The Honorable (full name of Senator)
State Senator
State Capitol
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Dear Senator (full name):
I urge you to support legislation introduced by Michigan Senator Liz Brater, and Senators Scott and Switalski. They are working with their colleagues in the legislature to try to amend the laws governing the mandatory sentencing of young people who are convicted of certain crimes. It is essential that we address this unforgiving sentence of juveniles in our criminal justice system. Key provisions of this legislation include:
• Prohibit the sentencing of children who are 17 and under to a sentence of life without parole in adult prisons;
• Allow courts discretion to impose any sentence upon a juvenile that is consistent with public safety and proportionate punishment;
• Allow an individual who was 17 or under when he or she committed a crime to be eligible for parole consideration after having served a minimum of 10 years.
No prisoners will be released as a consequence of the passage of these bills. Prisoners who have received sentences of parolable life or life without the possibility of parole would simply become eligible to be reviewed by the Michigan Parole Board.
The imposition of life without parole on minor children is a particularly cruel and disproportionate punishment that is explicitly prohibited by the International Convention On the Rights of the Child, and is widely considered a violation of international law and fundamental human rights. Despite this, Michigan is one of thirteen states that have no lower age limit for life sentences without possibility of parole and has made this punishment mandatory.
Please sign on as a co-sponsor to Senate Bills 6, 9, 28 and 40.
Very truly,
Your Signature
Juvenile Life Without Parole Information
Juvenile Life Without Parole in Michigan Facts (Charts)
How a Bill Becomes Law prepared by the Michigan Legislative Service Bureau